Unlike the Lu family, the Lin family—also a family-run business—had never developed such a mature operational structure or strict routines. Distant and close relatives alike held shares in Lin family enterprises, but mostly just collected dividends and stayed out of day-to-day management. In the end, everything still relied on Lin Pengcheng to run smoothly.
The day Lin Pengcheng passed away, the Lin family was thrown into chaos.
When the backbone of the family suddenly collapses, it’s only natural for everyone to feel insecure.
It wasn’t exactly a secret that Lin Shen had a tense relationship with Lin Pengcheng. On the very day of his death, some close relatives, overwhelmed by grief and anger, didn’t hold back in blaming Lin Shen for showing up late.
Once the security team had dispersed the crowd and restored order, everyone gathered somewhere to hold a meeting, debating whether Lin Shen was capable of taking over the family.
After all the years Lin Pengcheng had spent supporting the whole family, it seemed they could only afford a brief, shallow moment of mourning for him.
The Lin family now stood at a critical turning point.
The senior family members—those with high rank and substantial influence in the family’s business chain—held one meeting after another for several days.
Lin Shen was invited to every single meeting.
But without exception, he never attended. He was fully focused on handling his father’s funeral, facing endless questions and whispers with absolute silence.
People like Lin Pengcheng, with his wealth and status, usually leave a will before passing to distribute their assets. As his biological children, Lin Qianqian and Lin Shen were automatically the first in line to inherit.
Lin Qianqian, being completely unqualified in the business world, obviously wouldn’t receive much real power from their father.
So naturally, all eyes in the Lin family were on the shares.
When the major shareholder dies suddenly, the internal structure of the company inevitably shifts. Normally, Lin Shen, as the son, would inherit the vast majority of shares.
But everyone knew the father and son didn’t get along.
And now, Lin Pengcheng’s will remained a mystery. How he actually distributed his assets was still unknown.
With Lin Shen refusing to speak, everyone had no choice but to turn to Wu Yingxia, who had been closest to Lin Pengcheng, for answers.
Wu Yingxia, surprisingly, acted much like Lin Shen.
Only, instead of Lin Shen’s silent, brooding manner, Wu Yingxia carried a quiet confidence. She claimed she wouldn’t discuss inheritance until after the funeral, yet in action, she was already directing the arrangements, as if she had stepped into the role of the head herself.
For the scattered and panicked Lin family members, this was deeply unsettling.
Looking closer, Wu Yingxia’s behavior wasn’t just empty posturing.
She had always been close to Lin Pengcheng, and her son, Hu Haoyang, had graduated from a top university. Though he hadn’t succeeded in graduate school, he had immediately joined Linhong Trading Company after graduation and had already risen to a senior executive position.
Lin Pengcheng clearly had high hopes for Hu Haoyang, often taking him along on business trips and personally teaching him how to handle things. At family gatherings, the moment Lin Shen came up, Lin Pengcheng would immediately scowl—everyone saw it plain as day.
He was harsh and critical toward his own son, yet constantly bringing his nephew along to gain experience, which naturally made people raise their eyebrows.
When someone finally figured something out completely, they always felt like they were the smartest person in the room.
By the day of the funeral, Wu Yingxia was surrounded by a crowd of sycophants and fawning people.
Meanwhile, Lin Shen and Lin Qianqian, as his children, followed the funeral rituals dutifully. Apart from a few polite words of ‘please accept our condolences,’ no one came up to chat. Lin Wangye stayed quietly by Lin Shen’s side.
Lin Wangye found it strange that Lu Chengxuan wasn’t present.
Everyone in the Lin family knew about the tensions after Lin Pengcheng ended the partnership with the Lu family—it hadn’t been a happy split. And since everyone at the funeral knew Lu Chengxuan, if he had shown up, it would have felt extremely awkward.
Still, Lin Wangye couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
In his past life, his father and Lu Chengxuan had been at each other’s throats. At the funeral, Lu Chengxuan had come and even sat in the front row. Back then, Lin Wangye, who disliked Lu Chengxuan, had briefly thought it might be a move to mock the other side.
With what he now fully understood about Lu Chengxuan, that was impossible.
At this point, it was purely a feud between the older generation, and he didn’t understand why Lu Chengxuan hadn’t come. Especially now, with his father in such a difficult position, someone should have been there to hold the fort.
But Lu Chengxuan always followed his own logic.
Since he didn’t show up, Lin Shen didn’t say anything either. Lin Wangye figured it wasn’t his business to worry about, thought it over in his head, and let it go.
On the day of the burial, most of the Lin family was present.
As the final handful of soil covered the grave, the name engraved on the tombstone officially marked the passing of Chairman Lin—the self-made man who had built extraordinary achievements from scratch.
The weather matched the somber mood, a light drizzle falling quietly.
Even though he didn’t feel much toward this nominal grandfather, Lin Wangye felt a pang of melancholy.
He stood in the crowd, silent, wearing a white flower. Out of the corner of his ear, he overheard someone whisper:
“Why are the husband and wife buried separately…”
The cemetery was very quiet; most people didn’t speak, and even a whisper seemed jarringly loud. The person who spoke realized this and quickly clamped their mouth shut under the tug of someone nearby.
But it was too late.
Most people had already heard.
And almost immediately, everyone’s thoughts went to Lin Shen and Lin Qianqian’s mother—Lin Pengcheng’s wife, Xie Ying.
Xie Ying had grown up in a single-parent household; her mother had passed away early.
She met Lin Pengcheng in college, fell in love, and later started a business together after marriage, rarely mingling with the extended Lin family.
In everyone’s eyes, she was a sharp, capable, and wise woman.
From Lin Qianqian’s perspective, her mother had always been gentle. No matter how busy she was, she always found time to be with her children, guiding and educating them. Her father, though imperfect—stubborn in thought and overly controlling—had truly cared for them as well.
Girls tend to be more sensitive. After such an unexpected loss, Lin Qianqian’s emotions wavered. The funeral arrangements were almost entirely handled by Lin Shen.
It wasn’t until someone reminded her that she realized her father was being buried alone—not even in the same cemetery as her mother. She couldn’t help but glance at Lin Shen in confusion.
Lin Shen didn’t try to hide his voice; he looked down and spoke quietly.
“Mom’s wish back then… was to be buried separately.”
At his words, confusion immediately crossed Lin Qianqian’s face.
It wasn’t just her. To most people, the couple had built this business from nothing. After Xie Ying tragically died young, Lin Pengcheng, despite all his success, never remarried—proof of their deep love.
Normally, only couples whose relationships had fallen apart before death were buried separately. Otherwise, spouses were buried together.
Not being buried together implied that even in the afterlife, they didn’t want to see each other.
Xie Ying’s final wish struck most people as strange.
And Lin Shen had no reason to lie about his mother’s wish.
Everyone went silent, exchanging uneasy glances. A very few who knew the truth about Lin Pengcheng’s affairs glanced at each other, their expressions flickering briefly before quickly being hidden.
Lin Qianqian, unlike Lin Shen, had no knowledge of her father’s infidelity. Though puzzled, she knew this wasn’t the time to dig into the past, so she turned away without asking further.
After the graveside memorial ended, the Lin family slowly departed.
On the way back, they noticed five sharply dressed lawyers waiting in the parking lot. As Lin Shen approached, they immediately straightened, lifted their briefcases, and nodded slightly.
Wu Yingxia and the rest of the Lin relatives froze in place.
“Please accept our condolences,” the lead lawyer said politely, bowing slightly.
“I am the lawyer Lin Pengcheng entrusted while he was alive. Lin Pengcheng prepared a will and asked me to handle matters of asset inheritance after his passing. Here is my power of attorney along with a copy of the will’s summary for your review and verification.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the others immediately handed copies of the documents to everyone present.
It didn’t take long for the contents of the will to ignite a huge uproar.
Wu Yingxia read the will over and over, and when she realized that neither she nor her son had received even half a percent of the main company—indeed, their names weren’t even mentioned—she went completely dumbstruck, her hands trembling as she clutched the document.
Hu Haoyang’s face mirrored disbelief.
After all, his mother had always said that as long as he behaved, obeyed, and flattered his uncle, he would surely gain his attention. Ever since Hu Haoyang was promoted to a senior executive at Linhong Trading, his mother had felt confident about it for days on end.
When news of Lin Pengcheng’s sudden death reached them, he had been so excited he thought his chance to rise had finally come.
But reality was nothing like they imagined.
Lin Pengcheng’s dissatisfaction with his son was real, but so was his care.
In this will, Lin Pengcheng transferred nearly all of his assets to Lin Shen. Even Lin Qianqian received a pitiful 3%—just enough for a modest, decent life—but with no real authority.
Lin Pengcheng and Xie Ying had held the largest shares of the Lin family business.
When Xie Ying passed away, she had split her shares evenly between her daughter and son. Lin Pengcheng, however, left almost everything to Lin Shen.
This meant that after Lin Pengcheng’s death, Lin Shen became the absolute authority in the Lin family enterprise.
Even if the siblings later fell out and fought over the inheritance, Lin Shen’s position would remain unshakable.
And yet, this outcome made sense.
After several days of meetings, most of the Lin family had concluded that Lin Shen wouldn’t be able to manage the entire family business as well as Lin Pengcheng had, and deep down, many were already thinking about stepping away.
No matter how the assets were divided in the end, it wouldn’t change that mindset.
Soon, the parking lot at the cemetery erupted into noise.
Everyone was talking at once, but nothing coherent came out, and no real solution was reached.
Lin Shen, seemingly expecting this, remained calm as he got into the car. Before closing the door, he left a single remark:
“Linhong Trading headquarters, conference room. Today, we settle everything.”
That was exactly what the Lin family wanted to hear. They immediately got into their cars and headed to headquarters.
What Lin Wangye feared most had finally happened.
With such a huge event, no matter how tightly the news was controlled, it would inevitably leak.
The situation was a mix of internal crisis and external threat.
The company was in total chaos, and even the slowest investors and partners had probably caught wind of the news.
Lin Wangye sat in the passenger seat, frowning as he looked back at Lin Shen.
“What do we do?”
At a time like this, Lin Shen still managed a faint smile. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he said with a hint of sarcasm,
“What else can we do? Even if one leg’s broken, we still crawl forward.”
In that moment, Lin Wangye couldn’t think of a single solution.
He only knew that in his past life, his father had relied on the Linhong e-commerce platform to bounce back. But now, the market was dominated by Chengfeng and Shengtian. For Linhong to carve out a path was harder than climbing to the sky.
Lin Wangye instinctively thought about calling Lu Chengxuan. But seeing Lin Shen in the back seat, exhausted and closing his eyes, he let the idea go, sighing silently in worry.
When they arrived at the headquarters, the conference room was already filled with people.
Almost everyone holding shares in Linhong, whether at branch offices or the main company, had brought lawyers—some with one, some with two or three. The hundred-person conference room was packed, and there were more lawyers than shareholders.
Lin Shen sat at the front. Once everyone was settled, he tapped the microphone and got straight to the point:
“I know there’s been a lot of discussion lately about Linhong’s future, and most of you don’t think I can manage the company properly. Today, let’s be upfront. As you can see, I hold the vast majority of shares in the headquarters. Some people in the main company, for various reasons, still have to stay on board with me. But many of the branch companies under Linhong can, under certain conditions, separate from the headquarters. I believe most of you have considered this over the past few days. Today, we’ll just settle things. With the lawyers here, anyone who wants out can leave—no stopping you. We’ll sign everything face-to-face. From now on, it’s a single path forward; go whichever way you want.”
The room erupted into a buzz of whispers and exclamations.
Linhong had started as a wholesale business, later expanding into malls to form Linhong Trading. Now, in Ningchang City, four of the nine Linhong Trading malls were under the main company, while the other five had their own branch companies.
These five branches, along with several other Lin family businesses in different industries, had been specially supported by Lin Pengcheng for relatives to establish.
The main shareholders were all Lin family relatives—hiring professional CEOs to manage the companies while the family collected dividends.
Lin Pengcheng himself held less than 50% of these branches, so when they passed to Lin Shen, he naturally held about 50%.
The ‘conditional separation’ Lin Shen mentioned referred exactly to these branches—and these were also the ones most eager to separate.
The reason for wanting out was simple: they didn’t trust Lin Shen.
Some simply disliked him.
Some doubted his ability.
Some worried he might ruin the company.
Some didn’t want to serve under him.
Yet because he held a larger portion of shares, they were stuck—grumbling quietly but unable to act.
Under these circumstances, everyone hoped he would hand over his shares, so they could become the boss.
They all assumed they’d need to pressure him—maybe cry, yell, even threaten.
No one expected Lin Shen would willingly offer it himself.
The moment he stated his intentions, the room buzzed with discussion. When someone first asked if he was serious, Lin Shen nodded earnestly. Immediately, everyone started instructing their lawyers to draft share transfer agreements.
But Lin Shen seemed to have prepared for all this.
He directly handed out pre-prepared agreements to everyone present, letting their lawyers review them. If there were no objections, they could sign immediately.
Wu Yingxia stared at him without blinking, stunned. She finally whispered:
“Is he… crazy?”
Hu Haoyang snorted. “Selling all those shares at market price basically means giving up all future profits. It’s no different from selling cheap—handing over the empire Uncle built. I guess he knows he’s not capable, can’t handle all the pressure, so he just gives up and clings to the headquarters for retirement.”
Wu Yingxia didn’t fully understand, so she asked her son,
“So… should we pull out too?”
“Of course we should. First, grab whatever we can.”
Hu Haoyang glanced at the lawyer and gave a subtle nod, then added,
“Too bad Uncle left so early. If I had a bit more time, I could’ve grabbed a slice of the headquarters’ cake. Oh well. Even though Uncle was ridiculously stingy—only giving us one trading mall and a food company—I’ll definitely surpass later.”
Seeing her son’s confidence, Wu Yingxia immediately nodded. “See? That’s why someone as talented as you shouldn’t be working for Lin Shen.”
Hu Haoyang arrogantly lifted his head and snorted coldly.
Every branch company had more than one shareholder—some were distant aunts—but ultimately someone was in charge.
As soon as Lin Shen made his statement, the lawyers for the various branch companies began furiously writing.
The share transfer agreements Lin Shen had prepared were flawless.
When the first person handed the contract to him, he didn’t hesitate, pulled off the pen cap, and signed it on the spot.
His decisiveness made it almost feel like he’d just killed someone and was cashing out to run.
Those few who had endured Lin Pengcheng’s harsh selection and finally gotten shares in the headquarters were left shell-shocked, sitting pale and silent, feeling that the carefully built Linhong Trading was about to collapse under their eyes.
Since the share transfers involved significant sums, the process still required a lot of steps.
Everyone who had decided to pull out after Lin Pengcheng’s death now received Lin Shen’s contracts, severing ties with him completely.
Of course, Lin Shen had conditions.
Most people present shared the Lin surname, but Linhong was the legacy of his parents. Not just anyone named Lin could run a business called Linhong Trading.
Of the nine trading malls, only the four under the headquarters remained. The other five had to cancel their branch status, reapply for licenses, and change their names.
Everything was clearly written in the contracts, and everyone accepted it.
By the time all matters were settled, it was nearly dawn.
Leaning back in his chair, Lin Shen closed his eyes and rested, taking the fourth milk tea Lin Wangye had bought from outside. When he saw everything was handled, he slowly sat up.
Many people were already restless, but Lin Shen didn’t linger. He picked up the microphone and cleared his throat.
“It’s late, and all the settlements are done. Those who need to cancel branch status, please go to the business bureau tomorrow. Everyone else, you’re free to leave.”
As he finished, everyone in the conference room stood up in unison.
Lin Shen paused, as if remembering something, and spoke again.
“Everyone from the headquarters, stay behind for a moment. I have an announcement.”
The moment he said this, the already exhausted people from the headquarters nearly fainted. They had no idea what explosive move Lin Shen was about to pull, and a few even started pinching themselves to stay conscious.
Those who were about to leave slowed down, curiosity prickling—what new stunt was he planning?
At a time like this, Lin Shen took his sweet time. He finished the milk tea in his cup, cleared his throat, and spoke deliberately:
“You’ve probably all heard that the old city district on Huanghe Road is up for public bidding. I’ve thought it over and decided to go all in with my entire fortune—plan to build a commercial street there.”
He paused, letting the words sink in, then spoke each word slowly and clearly:
“Linhong Commercial Street.”
The conference room fell utterly silent.
Everyone knew the Huanghe Road old district was prime land—perfect timing, location, and resources. Every inch was gold. Even elementary school kids would know that once the area was redeveloped, it would become a central commercial hub.
Everyone thought he had lost his mind.
Public bidding required qualifications and proven ability. Across all of Ningchang, the most qualified was obviously the Lu family.
Sure, many people might bid, but deep down, everyone knew the winner would almost certainly be a Lu. This had become an unspoken rule in the industry.
Hu Haoyang stared at Lin Shen in disbelief, convinced he was genuinely crazy.
Even Lin Wangye was stunned.
But in the past life, that very street had indeed belonged to the Lu family!
As Lin Wangye blinked in shock, unable to form a word, Lin Shen spoke again.
“Some of you might think this is a wild fantasy. Well, we’ll see. Alright, nothing else? Where’s my driver—driver here yet?”
At that moment, a figure appeared at the conference room door.
Lu Chengxuan seemed to have been waiting outside for a long time. He turned his head, revealing his face.
The familiar blond hair suddenly looked blindingly sharp to many in the room.
He didn’t say a word, his face expressionless.
But his presence hit like deafening thunder, striking squarely over the heads of some people in the room.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
