Just handing over the Lin Corporation building to Lin Chen still didn't feel like enough for He Tianchi. The gesture felt too light. But if he could give his granddaughter to Lin Chen—along with He Jewelry—now that would show true sincerity. Though the He Group couldn't openly support Lin Chen, He Jewelry belonged to his granddaughter. If she got involved with Lin Chen, it would be a different matter altogether.
As long as he could connect with the Young Lord, no price was too high. He was extremely proud of his granddaughter—whether it was her talent or her strength, she was perfect for the role of a beautiful secretary. Lin Chen had no reason to refuse.
He Tianchi had, of course, talked to He Ling about this, though he didn't dare say too much. He simply told her Lin Chen was important to the He family's future—perhaps even the key to taking the family to the next level.
He believed in his outstanding granddaughter. As long as she spent time with a chosen one like the Young Lord, some things would naturally fall into place.
"My granddaughter knows the company better than I do, so I'll leave you young people to talk. Mr. Lin, I still have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave." With that, He Tianchi exited the office, leaving only He Ling and Lin Chen.
He Ling didn't feel the slightest bit awkward. Smiling gently, she said, "Mr. Lin, my grandfather's explained everything. Why don't I give you a tour of the company first?"
With poise and elegance, He Ling smiled—and Lin Chen found himself momentarily captivated by her figure. She truly was beautiful. Taller than Murong Qingcheng by five centimeters, and those legs… stunningly long!
"You're clearly very capable. Making you my secretary would be a bit of a waste," Lin Chen smiled. He understood exactly what He Tianchi had in mind.
"You should know who I am. I won't even get into how dangerous this could be, but… you also know I already have three wives. Making you my secretary wouldn't be quite appropriate."
In prominent families like theirs, the saying often went: If there's something to do, the secretary does it; if there's nothing to do… do the secretary. It was practically expected.
After thinking it over, Lin Chen said, "Here's what we'll do. You'll be the Vice President and take care of company operations."
He Ling was undoubtedly beautiful, but he had no intention of exploiting proximity. With He Tianchi's backing, keeping He Ling around would save him plenty of trouble—and maybe even help him root out the rats hiding within the company.
As for the whole beautiful secretary turned lover thing, Lin Chen had no interest.
He Ling was slightly stunned by his words. Plenty of men had tried to win her over—enough to fill a battalion. But not one of them had ever caught her eye. It wasn't that she was arrogant—just that none had ever truly moved her.
She was used to rejecting others. Now, when she finally mustered the courage to go along with her grandfather's request, she was being rejected herself.
Was she not attractive enough for him?
Still, since Lin Chen had put it that way, she didn't dwell on it. Truth be told, she wasn't too keen on being his secretary either. Now that it was Lin Chen's idea, her grandfather likely wouldn't object.
"Alright, let's do as you say, Mr. Lin."
She gave Lin Chen a quick overview of the company and then signed the contract with him. From this moment on, the building—and the company—belonged to Lin Chen.
News of Lin Chen's appointment as Chairman spread quickly, and the entire company was thrown into chaos. Many employees were long-time Lin family staff and knew of the once-disgraced eldest son who had spent five years in prison.
Ever since Lin Chen had been drafted to the northern front, he had severed ties with the Lin family—and society. Everyone knew the family had hidden him away. None of their enemies had even bothered looking for him. Clearly, they didn't see him as a threat. Their only goal was to wipe out the Jiangcheng Lin Group.
"It's over! Lin Chen just got out of prison—what does he even know about running a company? We're doomed!"
"When the Lin family went bankrupt, we already lost our jobs once. Are we seriously about to go through that again?"
"I didn't come here for some Lin family heir—I came for He Tianchi! Why would he hand the company over like this?!"
Panic spread like wildfire.
Then came He Ling's bold declaration:
"From this moment on, including myself, everyone answers to Chairman Lin. Anyone who disobeys—I will deal with personally!"
If even He Ling was backing Lin Chen, the senior executives dared not object. They picked up on something subtle.
If the granddaughter of the richest man in Jiangcheng was willing to follow this new chairman… maybe he wasn't so simple after all.
Yan City – Liang Family Estate
This was the old residence of the Liang family.
An imposing elder sat at the head of the room, flanked by twenty powerful-looking individuals. In the center lay the corpse of Liang Zhu.
Smash! A porcelain cup shattered on the ground. The old man's face darkened.
"Good! Good! Very good!"
His sharp gaze turned to Liang Haoming, who stood trembling nearby.
"You killed your own son—and then watched as someone trampled on the dignity of our Liang family?!"
Liang Haoming looked miserable but had no words.
The old man turned to the guards and barked, "Take these useless fools away and punish them according to family law. Fifty heavy strokes!"
"If they die, they die. If they live—then fine, they can keep breathing."
At his command, a team of warriors entered and dragged the guards away.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! The sound of heavy rods echoed through the courtyard.
These guards were Liang Haoming's trusted men. But after such disgrace, someone had to pay in blood—starting with them.
And not just them. Lin Chen. Murong Qingcheng. Even Gu Ruohan—they would all pay!
The old man took a deep breath and turned to Liang Haoming. "Tell me everything about this Lin Chen."
Liang Haoming immediately replied, "Father, he got out of prison five years ago. But back when the Allied Eight Nations invaded the north, he was drafted into a suicide unit and joined the Northern Army."
"When the war ended, he didn't receive any honors—and his fate was unknown."
"I suspect that during his time up north, he truly learned something. His strength now… I'd estimate he's at least a late-stage Grandmaster."
The old man furrowed his brows and stroked his beard.
Most people assumed Liang Haoming was the head of the Liang family. They didn't realize the true puppet master behind the curtain was Liang Wangba—his father.
"Xie Tu must've underestimated him. That's why he didn't even survive a single strike."
"Though Xie Tu was a seventh-level Grandmaster, his techniques were flawed. He took a crooked path. A flashy shell with no substance."
"Realistically, his power was only on par with a mid-level Grandmaster. At best, he could beat someone at the fifth level."
Liang Haoming's eyes lit up. "So that explains it! No wonder Lin Chen could defeat Gu Ruohan but still smack Xie Tu flying!"
The Liang family had several powerful enforcers. If they deployed a real late-stage Grandmaster, crushing Lin Chen would be simple.
"Father, Lin Chen killed Zhu! We have to avenge him!"
Liang Wangba slammed the table. "Lin Chen. Murong Qingcheng. I'll make them suffer in ways they never imagined!"
After a pause, he added, "But Lin Chen isn't weak—and Gu Ruohan is with him. A head-on confrontation would cost us too much. It's not worth it."
He narrowed his eyes. "The elders have another idea. Didn't Zhu like that girl Murong Qingcheng? Then we'll arrange a ghost wedding."
"As for the wedding night… I'll leave that to you."
Liang Haoming's eyes gleamed with cruel anticipation.
Back at Lin Corporation, Lin Chen wrapped up his work and stepped outside.
He pulled out his phone, intending to call Murong Qingcheng.
Suddenly, his right eyebrow twitched.
According to feng shui and ancient divination, a right-eye twitch was a bad omen.
"No good! Something's wrong!"
He quickly dialed her number—but couldn't get through.
Raising his right hand, his fingers began to tremble.
Through his subtle calculations, he sensed that Murong Qingcheng was in danger.
Whatever it took, he couldn't let anything happen to her!