Wu Yangcheng glared at Wu Yunhui. The Song Family had demanded secrecy, yet Wu Yunhui had blurted it out.
"Lin Chen, the Song Family is far more powerful than our Wu Family and the Xu Family. Offending them would bring you immense trouble," Wu Yangcheng said gravely.
Lin Chen smiled. "I have no major grievances with the Song Family. Why would I offend them? Perhaps I could even ally with them to target your Wu Family instead. *Heh heh*."
Wu Yangcheng: "..."
"You don't know the Song Family, do you?" Wu Yunhui sneered. "It seems you truly have no background. You probably just got lucky and found someone to back you."
"Remember this: if you keep causing trouble for your powerful benefactor, they might abandon you."
Lin Chen chuckled. "That sounds a lot like your situation with the Song Family, doesn't it? If you keep causing trouble, they might abandon you too."
"Mr. Wu, if you spread lies about Meng Yao, I'll go straight to the Song Family. We'll both end up hurting each other, *heh heh*!"
Lin Chen stood up.
"That's enough of this conversation."
"There's nothing more I want to discuss with you."
Wu Yangcheng said in a deep voice, "Lin Chen, are you really unwilling to compromise? If you help my brother, Haoyu, get a reduced sentence, our Wu Family will give you ten million!"
"The Xu Family's money is theirs, and yours is yours," Lin Chen replied indifferently. "They broke the law; they should just accept their punishment."
"Farewell!"
With that, Lin Chen left.
The two men watched from the window as Lin Chen reached the tea house's entrance. Wu Yunhui exploded in a rage, "Damn it! Who the hell does he think he is? Why is he so arrogant?"
"Yunhui, why did you impulsively mention the Song Family?" Wu Yangcheng asked.
"I... I thought mentioning the Song Family might pressure him. I hoped it would shave two or three years off my father's sentence," Wu Yunhui replied.
His outburst wasn't entirely impulsive. His father's five-year prison sentence would have a significant impact on him. Exposing the Song Family would affect the entire Wu Family, but if it meant his father's early release, it seemed like a reasonable trade-off.
Wu Yangcheng gave his son a long, meaningful look. Given Yunhui's desperation to save his father, he couldn't say much more.
"Don't say anything reckless in front of Xu Mengyao."
"If we don't say anything, Lin Chen probably won't expose the Song Family. If the Song Family finds out we exposed them like this, they'll definitely hold a grudge."
Wu Yangcheng warned, "Uncle, I know."
Wu Yunhui nodded.
Downstairs, a faint smile appeared on Lin Chen's face. Although he had left the teahouse, he had used his internal energy to enhance his hearing and could hear everything Wu Yangcheng and the others were saying.
Xu Mengyao had already formed a guess, but it would be better for her if the Wu Family members didn't speak carelessly in front of her. The more time passed, the less these things would affect her.
*Beep beep!*
Lin Chen's phone suddenly rang. It was Chen Zhian calling.
They had scheduled a dinner, originally last week, but Lin Chen had postponed it to this week, specifically for tomorrow.
"Hello, President Chen," Lin Chen answered.
Chen Zhian's hearty voice came through the phone: "Master Lin, is tomorrow's dinner confirmed? If not, we can delay it by a few hours."
"It's confirmed, President Chen," Lin Chen said.
"Great, Master Lin. See you tomorrow. It'll just be my father and me. The dishes will be delivered early tomorrow morning."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Chen Zhian shared the good news with his father.
"Good, good."
"Zhian, let's head over today."
Chen Zhian's father, Chen Xingguo, said excitedly.
He had been a die-hard fan of Lin Yu for years. When Chen Zhian brought the "Sea Embraces All Rivers" calligraphy home, seeing it left Chen Xingguo utterly awestruck. Now, he was desperate to meet his idol.
"Dad, I'll book the plane tickets right away," Chen Zhian said.
Having lunch tomorrow would be fine, or even leaving early in the morning, but Chen Xingguo couldn't risk anything delaying their trip.
The sooner they left, the sooner he would feel at ease.
***
"Ahem!"
Lin Chen, cooking in the kitchen, heard Lin Xiaoqian cough.
He hurried out of the kitchen.
Xu Mengyao looked at him helplessly. "Honey, I took Qianqian down to play. She was jumping in puddles with Nannan and the others. Do you think she caught a cold from that?"
Lin Chen examined Lin Xiaoqian.
"Her feet might have gotten wet, and she was sweating from playing. The air conditioning at home probably chilled her when we got back."
"Don't worry, dear. Qianqian hasn't had a cold in a long time. Her constitution has improved compared to before."
Xu Mengyao said, "She hasn't seen Nannan and the others for days. Nannan and Qiqi were down there, and they were playing so wildly."
"It's okay, don't worry," Lin Chen said with a reassuring smile. "Since Qianqian has a cold, we'll need to change her lunch menu. Could you play with her a bit longer? Lunch will be ten minutes late."
An hour later, Lin Xiaoqian had finished her meal, taken her medicine, and fallen asleep.
The sound of her coughing could still be heard from the room from time to time.
"Honey, I was so careless," Xu Mengyao said. "You took Qianqian out for so long without any issues, but I took her out for just half a day and she caught a cold."
Xu Mengyao said self-reproachfully.
Lin Chen opened his arms and hugged her. "Honey, I'm a doctor and you're not. It's only natural that I'm better at these things than you are."
"Qianqian's cough is heartbreaking, but she'll be fine."
Xu Mengyao nodded slightly.
"Honey, what were you talking about with Wu Yangcheng and the others?"
"They offered me ten million to put in a good word for Wu Yangfeng and get him two years knocked off his sentence."
"Do you know the Song Family, honey?"
Xu Mengyao nodded. "Of course."
Her expression changed slightly. "Is the Wu Family backed by the Song Family?"
"Yes."
Lin Chen nodded. "Wu Yunhui let it slip, trying to use the Song Family to pressure me, but I don't even know them."
Xu Mengyao said, "Some say our Xu Family is a prominent family, but not top-tier. The truly elite families have assets exceeding one hundred billion."
"The Song Family is one of those elite families."
"None of their members appear on the wealth rankings, but the entire family is far richer than ours."
"And the Song Family isn't just about money."
As she said this, a worried expression crossed Xu Mengyao's face.
Lin Chen asked, "How much are the Song Family's assets worth?"
Xu Mengyao shook her head. "I'm not sure. At their level, they don't flaunt their wealth; instead, they use various means to conceal it."
"Their wealth isn't limited to the country, or even to the Song Family itself."
Lin Chen looked puzzled.
Xu Mengyao explained, "For example, someone might have no apparent connection to the Song Family, but they could be the illegitimate child of someone within the family."
"With the Song Family's help, such individuals might amass considerable wealth, but it wouldn't be included in the family's official assets."
"I know a female celebrity whose child belongs to someone in the Song Family. The media portrays her and her husband as a loving couple, but they'll probably divorce amicably in a couple of years."
Lin Chen: "They play such elaborate games?"
Xu Mengyao: "This kind of thing is common in wealthy families."
"Honey, if your hand goes any lower, I'm not letting you hold me anymore."
Her face flushed crimson.
Lin Chen cleared his throat. "I couldn't help myself."
-----------------------
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