"Mr. Lin, may I take a look?"
Song Shize asked nervously.
Lin Chen took out his phone and opened a photo.
"This is a photo of the will. Have a look."
Song Shize examined it carefully.
He immediately recognized it as his father's handwriting. Furthermore, the document bore official notarization stamps.
Given Lin Chen's capabilities, there was no way he would forge something like this.
"Patriarch Song, can you confirm it's Elder Song's handwriting?" Lin Chen asked.
Song Shize nodded.
"This will was indeed left by my father. Mr. Lin, regarding the half-share mentioned in it for you, I fully acknowledge it."
"The value of that portion is approximately fifteen billion yuan. We can compensate you with assets or directly in cash."
Lin Chen smiled.
"No problem."
"But there's no rush to divide the inheritance. Let's first allow Elder Song to rest in peace and uncover the mastermind behind everything. You're the family head—what belongs to you won't be taken away."
Song Shize secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Coming here today had definitely been the right decision.
He never would have imagined that his father had entrusted the inheritance distribution to Lin Chen.
If he had blindly joined forces with Song Shikang against Lin Chen, the consequences would have been disastrous.
"Mr. Lin, my father really left us one final test before he passed away."
Song Shize sighed.
Lin Chen replied:
"I won't betray Elder Song's trust. I'll do my best to distribute everything fairly. Those entitled to a share will receive it. Those who aren't won't get a single cent."
"Mm."
Song Shize nodded.
"My father trusted your sense of fairness. Mr. Lin, I'll work as quickly as possible to find the culprit."
Soon afterward, Song Shize left.
His mood was surprisingly good.
Since Lin Chen possessed the will, it didn't matter how much Song Shikang and the others caused trouble. The more they stirred things up, the more likely they were to expose themselves.
"Qianqian, time to wake up."
Lin Chen entered the bedroom and woke Lin Xiaoqian.
He still needed to attend Song Lao's memorial service.
An hour later, Lin Chen arrived at the Song family residence.
Funeral music played throughout the estate.
Wreaths lined the outside of the mourning hall.
Guests arrived one after another, respectfully paying their respects.
Eventually, it was Lin Chen's turn.
His expression solemn, he approached the altar.
Lin Xiaoqian wasn't with him. Cheng Xiaojun was looking after her outside.
Suddenly, a woman shouted angrily:
"Lin, get out of here!"
"My father died after eating the food you made!"
"Don't pretend to mourn him!"
It was Song Shikang's wife.
Song Shize knew Elder Song had instructed several influential figures to look after Lin Chen.
Song Shikang didn't know.
His wife knew even less.
She deliberately caused a scene, hoping to drag Song Qingquan into the matter.
After all, Song Qingquan had eaten food prepared by Lin Chen, though it had been delivered by Song Wan.
"Enough!"
Song Shize barked sharply.
"Shikang, control your wife."
"The food Mr. Lin prepared was for Wan'er. He helped her."
"And Mr. Lin was Father's friend."
"He came to pay his respects. Is this how our Song family treats guests?"
Song Shikang's expression changed slightly.
Song Shize had openly reprimanded his wife without hesitation.
They were brothers by blood.
Lin Chen was an outsider.
Moreover, his wife's family was powerful in its own right.
Something was clearly wrong.
Song Shikang's instincts immediately told him that there was information he didn't possess—something Song Shize knew that he didn't.
Lin Chen quietly completed his bow.
Song Shize returned the gesture.
Song Qingquan wasn't present.
He was probably resting; after all, the funeral lasted several days, and the brothers had to take turns sleeping.
"Patriarch Song, my condolences."
Lin Chen said.
Song Shize replied:
"Thank you, Mr. Lin. Please come rest for a while. Forgive any shortcomings in our hospitality."
"Yunjie, escort Mr. Lin to where Elder Li and Elder Zhang are."
"Understood."
A man beside him immediately agreed.
A short while later, Lin Chen was led into the rear courtyard.
The front courtyard was noisy, but the back was much quieter.
After knocking, Song Yunjie guided Lin Chen into a room.
Inside, two elderly men were admiring a piece of calligraphy.
The very same calligraphy Lin Chen had gifted Elder Song.
"Xiao Lin, you're here."
"We've been waiting for you for quite some time."
The two old men smiled warmly.
Song Yunjie quickly excused himself.
Standing before these two figures was simply too stressful.
Lin Chen smiled.
"Elder Li, Elder Zhang."
These were the same elders he'd shared drinks with before.
Elder Li sighed.
"Just last week, Old Song was having dinner with us."
"Who would've thought he'd leave us so soon?"
"What he entrusted to us truly became a final request."
Elder Zhang nodded.
"Xiao Lin, the same thing I said before still stands."
"If you ever need help, come find us."
Lin Chen quickly replied:
"Thank you, seniors."
Elder Li suddenly said:
"Xiao Lin, there's paper and ink here."
"Would you be willing to demonstrate your calligraphy for us?"
"We'd like to learn a little."
Elder Zhang also looked at him expectantly.
They already knew Lin Chen was the mysterious master known as Lin Yu.
But they had never personally watched him write.
Deep down, they still found it difficult to believe someone so young could possess such extraordinary calligraphic skill.
"Of course."
Lin Chen smiled.
He walked to the desk and spread out a sheet of paper.
Brushes and ink were already prepared.
After a brief moment of thought, he lifted the brush and wrote:
"The setting clouds and solitary wild ducks fly together;
The autumn waters share the same color as the endless sky."
As before, his calligraphy remained at a legendary level.
In fact, it had improved even further.
Almost instantly, Elder Li and Elder Zhang became immersed in it.
A magnificent scene seemed to appear before their eyes.
Only after a long while did they recover.
"A masterpiece."
"Incredible."
"Xiao Lin, this belongs in a national treasure collection."
Elder Li exclaimed.
Then he asked curiously:
"Would foreigners experience the same effect when viewing your work?"
Lin Chen answered:
"If they understand Chinese, yes."
"If they don't, the effect is much weaker."
"For people who can't read Chinese, paintings create a stronger impression."
"Your painting skills are excellent too?"
Elder Li asked in surprise.
"Not bad."
Lin Chen replied modestly.
Elder Zhang immediately said:
"Then paint something for us!"
"I studied traditional Chinese painting before."
"My own work isn't great, but I do have some appreciation skills."
Lin Chen nodded.
"No problem."
Picking up a brush, he began creating an ink painting.
His painting skills actually surpassed his calligraphy.
They were approaching a mythical level.
Before he even finished, Elder Li and Elder Zhang had already fallen into a trance-like appreciation.
Much later, they finally regained their senses.
Elder Li stared at him in disbelief.
"Xiao Lin, I thought your calligraphy alone was extraordinary."
"I didn't realize you were equally gifted in painting."
"Old Zhang, what do you think of this painting?"
Elder Zhang rolled his eyes.
"What do I think?"
"What qualifications do I have to critique it?"
"This painting has already surpassed the limits of my ability to evaluate."
Then he laughed.
"Old Song was truly crafty."
"He asked us old men to look after you."
"We'll be buried in the ground before long and won't be able to protect the Song family forever."
"But you're still young."
"Your future is limitless."
Just then, two more influential elders entered the room.
After seeing Lin Chen's calligraphy and painting, they too quickly became immersed.
When they finally came back to reality, they were thoroughly astonished.
They already knew Lin Chen was Lin Yu.
They had heard various stories about him.
But hearing about it and witnessing it firsthand were completely different experiences.
Beep beep.
Lin Chen's phone suddenly rang.
It was Cheng Xiaojun.
He answered immediately.
"Mr. Lin, Qianqian misses you."
Then a sweet childish voice came through the phone:
"Daddy, where are you?"
Elder Zhang smiled.
"Xiao Lin, bring your daughter over here."
"It's noisy outside. It's much quieter here."
One of the newly arrived elders, surnamed Yang, laughed.
"My granddaughter came with me too."
"I'll bring her over."
"They're about the same age. They can play together."
Lin Chen nodded.
"Qianqian, Daddy's coming right away."
-----------------------
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(End of Chapter)