"Shut up. You, an illegitimate son born from a mistress, dare to call me brother? Disgusting!"
Facing Lin Xuan's cold and disdainful tone, Lin Hao's pupils flashed with a moment of ferocity.
The thing he hated most in his life... was being called an illegitimate child born from a mistress.
Even though he knew it was the truth, every time someone pointed it out, he instinctively felt both anger and inferiority.
Especially since Lin Xuan exposed his inner wound in such a contemptuous tone, he found it utterly unacceptable.
At this moment, if not for the last shred of reason and restraint in his heart, Lin Hao would have exploded.
He bit his tongue hard, using the pain to momentarily regain his composure, and continued to murmur apologies, his tear-filled eyes pleading:
"Brother, I'm sorry. Truly sorry!"
"As long as you're willing to forgive me, I'll do anything. Please, save Lin Group. That was once our home!"
Damn! He's really good at enduring. Is this guy a Ninja Turtle or something?!
Seeing that even after all this humiliation, Lin Hao could still smile and call him "Brother," Lin Xuan rolled his eyes.
"Willing to do anything, huh? Fine! If you go to the roof and jump off right now, I'll share the formula with your family."
"Ah... this?!"
Hearing such a crazy demand, Lin Hao turned pale.
This hospital was eighteen stories high, tens of meters tall!!!
Jumping from the rooftop would definitely send him straight to God...
For a moment, Lin Hao's expression was grim. He stood there, caught in a dilemma, not knowing what to do.
At this moment, Bai Yuelan, who was beside him, couldn't stand it anymore. With a stiff smile, she jumped in to smooth things over.
"Xuan, dear! That joke went too far!"
"We're all one family—why make such a scene and let outsiders laugh at us? In Mama's opinion, how about…"
She thought Lin Xuan might give her, his "mother," some face.
But who knew Lin Xuan had no intention of indulging her at all. He swept a cold glance at her and snapped irritably:
"Cut it out! Who are you, old lady? Who's family with a mistress like you?"
"I already said it not long ago—my mom is dead. Are you dead too?"
At these words, Bai Yuelan's forced smile completely crumbled, leaving her looking as if she had swallowed a pile of crap.
"Pathetic."
Lin Xuan turned to leave. He was already sick of getting entangled with this bizarre family.
He had thought they might bring him some sort of "surprise," but to his disappointment, it was the same old routine—utterly boring.
"Wait, Young Master Lin! You can't leave! If you go, the company is finished!"
"Old Lin, control your wife and son! What are you standing there for? Hurry up and apologize to Young Master Lin!"
Seeing the negotiation fail and Lin Xuan about to leave, the shareholders panicked and broke out in cold sweat.
A director in a black suit turned angrily to Lin Hao, pushing all the blame onto him.
"What the hell are you doing, you illegitimate son? Is this how you apologize? What kind of attitude is this?!"
"Get on your knees immediately and kowtow to Young Master Lin 108 times!"
"And you, you filthy whore! It's because you gave birth to this bastard that Young Master Lin is upset! You should kneel and apologize too!"
"That's right! Kneel and kowtow now!"
The crowd erupted into furious shouts, demanding that Lin Hao and his mother kneel.
At this moment, everyone directed their anger and anxiety toward Lin Hao and his mother, yelling at them to kneel.
Especially when they noticed Lin Xuan suddenly stop in his tracks, watching them tear each other apart with apparent amusement, their excitement grew.
Believing they had found a way to please Lin Xuan, they shouted even louder for them to kneel.
In this deafening uproar, Lin Hao could no longer maintain his composure. His eyes burned with fury.
These bastards!!!
He had already been humiliated enough by apologizing, and now they wanted him to kneel before everyone?!
Wasn't this the same as trampling his dignity into the dirt?!
And they even wanted his mother to kneel as well?!
This was beyond humiliating!!!
Lin Hao clenched his fists tightly, his nails digging deep into his palms.
In the past, he had knelt before, but that was out of his own manipulative schemes against Lin Xuan.
But this time, he was being forced—this was completely different! He couldn't accept it!
How did things turn out like this?!
Just a few weeks ago, Lin Xuan was nothing more than a toy for him, someone he could humiliate and torture at will.
But somehow, their positions had reversed?
This drastic shift was something Lin Hao could never accept...
"You refuse to kneel? Fine! We'll help you!"
"Daring to make Young Master Lin wait?!"
"Hmph! If you want to apologize, do it properly!"
Seeing Lin Hao ignore their demands, the shareholders decided to take matters into their own hands.
"Enough! You've gone too far!!!"
Finally, Lin Jianjun, unable to endure it anymore, roared out in fury.
"Whoever dares to harm my wife and child, I will hunt them down, no matter how far!"
Having served as Lin Group's chairman for many years, Lin Jianjun still retained a bit of authority.
Under his murderous gaze, the shareholders hesitated and exchange nervous glances.
For a moment, no one dared to make a move against Lin Hao and his mother.
Then, Lin Jianjun lifted his head and looked at his eldest son. His gaze was filled with disappointment, guilt, resentment, and a glimmer of hope.
A thousand words condensed into a single sentence...
"Do you still want to be my son?"
"Ha...??? What???"
"As long as you help Lin Group through this crisis, I promise to treat you equally. I will no longer favor Lin Hao. You are both my beloved sons!"
"Heh..."
Meeting Lin Jianjun's hopeful gaze, Lin Xuan's lips curled into a mocking smile.
This old bastard... Even now, he's still dreaming?!
Even at this point, he refused to acknowledge how disgusting his past behavior was.
In response, Lin Xuan gave him the international hand gesture:
＝"＝凸
"Very well. Hope you don't regret it."
"From now on, we are strangers. You can forget about calling me your son!"
"I swear! Even if the company goes bankrupt, I will never beg you, nor will I let you humiliate the people I love."
Ignoring the shocked expressions of the shareholders around him, Lin Jianjun pulled Bai Yuelan and Lin Hao into his arms, his eyes filled with determination.
"Money is valuable, but family is priceless. I've finally understood the meaning of life! You ungrateful son will never feel the warmth of family."
"And I will no longer lose myself to money, bowing to a beast like you."
"Sure, being broke is sad! But sacrificing your family's dignity for money is even sadder."
"Unfilial son! Listen carefully to your father's final lesson."
"Wealth can measure life, but it cannot replace life. One should not take pride in having wealth but should take pride in possessing noble character."
"Poverty isn't scary—what's scary is lacking the courage to face it. Money isn't everything!"
"It's something external—brought by neither birth nor taken in death. Don't let wealth become an obstacle in cultivating a noble spirit."
"......."
Having accepted the reality of imminent bankruptcy…
Lin Jianjun had a moment of sudden enlightenment, vowing never to compromise with Lin Xuan for money.
He tried his best to straighten his spine and preached a series of grand principles to Lin Xuan, as if he wanted to leave this unfilial son with a valuable spiritual legacy.
From then on.
Father and son would walk separate paths, owing each other nothing.
Lin Jianjun spoke with such passion and intensity that everyone was left stunned.
But Lin Xuan just sneered and sent another international greeting.
＝"＝凸
"Heh… how noble and righteous of you…"
He couldn't be bothered to continue this nonsense with Lin Jianjun. He pushed past the board members of the Lin Group and walked away alone...
"Sigh~~ Poor are the hearts of parents everywhere."
"Maybe… I really did make a mistake in the past…"
Watching his eldest son walk away without looking back, Lin Jianjun let out a deep sigh.
When he realized that their familial bond was beyond repair, a trace of guilt, sorrow, and reluctance flashed in his eyes.
Thinking back carefully, he realized that he had indeed been a little biased in the past.
Especially when he forced Lin Xuan to marry into the Su family in place of another, ruining his son's lifelong happiness in marriage.
But fortunately, Su Shengtian now highly values Lin Xuan...
Through this twist of fate, he hadn't truly harmed Lin Xuan, so he could leave without guilt.
And the legacy of wisdom he left his son—every word was worth its weight in gold.
If Lin Xuan could absorb even a little of it, it would benefit him for life. Because of this…
Lin Jianjun believed he no longer owed Lin Xuan anything.
On the contrary, it was Lin Xuan who repeatedly defied him, acting unfilial and breaking his heart. It was Lin Xuan who owed him.
"But because of this... Lin Xuan has completely lost the most sacred and precious thing in this world—his father's love. He will be forever immersed in regret."
"Surely, this punishment for the unfilial son is comparable to the Ten Great Tortures of the Qing Dynasty—enough to make him repent for his mistakes."
Lin Jianjun murmured to himself, a fleeting trace of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly wondered if he had been too heartless, subjecting a child to such cruel and inhumane psychological torment...
"Daddy~~"
"Husband~~"
At this moment.
Two concerned voices came from his embrace, pulling Lin Jianjun's attention back.
He lowered his head and looked at the two loved ones nestled against him, one on each side, his heart filling with warmth.
Yes~~~
What he should focus on now...
Should not be the abandoned unfilial son, but the two loved ones in his arms instead...
"I'm sorry, Hao'er, Yuelan! The company may be beyond saving. From now on, you might have to endure hardship with me."
Stroking the small heads in his arms, Lin Jianjun sincerely apologized.
As a man who prided himself on standing tall, he felt deeply guilty for failing to provide his family with a life of material comfort.
But who would have thought...
"It's okay, Daddy! We're family! As long as the three of us stick together, rich or poor, we're still happy."
"That's right! Hubby~~ Do you think I'm some gold digger? I love you, not your money!"
Lin Hao and his mother forced a smile, pretending not to care.
But the gloom in their eyes could hardly be concealed.
Lin Jianjun had lived a smooth life since childhood, never really lacking money. So, he could still foolishly believe that family love was the most important thing and face the impending poverty with ease.
But before Lin Xuan's mother had passed away…
They had lived through true hardship and understood the pain of being poor.
They were not as "optimistic" as Lin Jianjun.
At this moment.
The mother and son exchanged glances, already considering their way out...
Elsewhere.
"Good, good, good! As expected of my family!"
"You are right! We are a family, a loving and united family. As long as we stick together, there is no obstacle we can't overcome."
After hearing his wife and child's words, Lin Jianjun was moved to tears.
He sincerely thanked his ancestors for allowing him to meet the two most important people in his life after turning fifty. What more could he ask for!!!
As for bankruptcy?
Hard days ahead??
Becoming dirt poor???
These were just minor issues.
At worst, he could just start over, right?!
Lin Jianjun had a mysterious confidence in his business talent.
He believed he could build another billion-dollar empire.
And next time, maybe a hundred-billion-dollar one… a trillion… ruling the world was just around the corner…
Do you think I, Lin Jianjun, will be defeated?
NO!
NO!!
NO!!!
The famous commentator, U.S. Five-Star General Douglas MacArthur once said…
"What doesn't kill me will only make me stronger!!!!!!"
While Lin Jianjun was indulging in his grand dreams of a comeback, the board members of his company were drowning in deep despair.
"It's over, it's over! Seeing Young Master Lin's attitude, he is dead set on not forgiving that fool Lin Jianjun."
"The Lin Corporation is destined for bankruptcy and liquidation. What we need to do now is find a sucker and sell off our shares as much as possible to recover some losses."
"Sigh, but the disastrous state of our Lin Corporation is now widely known. What kind of idiot would take over?"
"It's all that idiot Old Lin's fault! He ignored Young Master Lin, such an outstanding son, and instead favored that little bastard? Now look what happened! Hmph!"
"........"
Realizing that bankruptcy was inevitable.
A large group of board members gnashed their teeth, filled with complaints and grievances.
Especially towards Lin Jianjun, their resentment reached the sky as they cursed him one after another.
"How dare you insult me?!"
Seeing that even now, Lin Jianjun dared act like a chairman, the crowd exploded with rage, rolled up their sleeves, and raised fists to strike...