BTMDY Chapter 104

As the saying goes, the taller the tree, the more wind it catches.

 

Ningchang City’s business district wasn’t that big, yet anyone who regularly attended the big social gatherings thrown by the commercial elite would always spot familiar faces coming and going. On the surface, everything seemed calm, but underneath, storms were brewing.

 

The much-discussed Yellow River Road commercial project finally ended up in Linhong’s hands.

 

The outcome shocked most people.

 

The news of the former chairman’s death had been tightly kept by the Lin family, but in the business circle, it wasn’t really a secret. Lin Pengcheng had worked his way up over the years, and he wasn’t in a lowly position. His network was wide enough that it was impossible for nobody to know.

 

And, to make matters worse, he had suddenly collapsed while drinking in public, surrounded by a whole table of people.

 

With that many witnesses, there was no way the Lin family could have covered it up.

 

Everyone had seen too many dynasties crumble overnight despite years of careful buildup. So at first, nobody took it too seriously—they treated it as just another piece of gossip to pass the time.

 

But once the bidding results came out, Lin Shen—who had never been taken seriously and whom most people didn’t even know—suddenly burst into everyone’s view in a way that shook the entire scene. He became the center of attention, the one everyone was talking about.

 

His actions after taking over Linhong’s headquarters quickly spread.

 

The outside world was divided.

 

Some said he had used the secret plans Lin Pengcheng left behind.

 

Some said he had received guidance from a wise mentor, hiding his strength and striking at just the right moment.

 

Some said he had just gotten lucky, hitting the jackpot by accident.

 

No matter what people said aloud, deep down, most of them knew the truth.

 

Pulling off such an astonishing move was no accident—Lin Shen was clearly someone playing the fool to catch the tiger. In business, the battlefield can be just as ruthless; sometimes, you need that kind of bite.

 

To rise and hold a place in the business world, you had to have sharp instincts for reading people and situations. Lin Shen’s abilities, many insiders agreed silently, likely even surpassed his father’s.

 

Before he died, Lin Pengcheng had mostly given negative assessments of Lin Shen in front of the family. Maybe he was just venting his frustration at having an underachieving son and hadn’t thought much beyond that.

 

But words spoken lightly can stick with listeners.

 

If such a vast fortune didn’t end up with Lin Shen, the beneficiaries were uncertain. The Lin family had always treated Lin Shen as a thorn in their side, and over the years, they had spread these negative opinions deliberately.

 

With so many ‘family members’ actively smearing him, and Lin Shen still just a student with little public exposure, people naturally developed a stereotyped impression of him as ‘uneducated,’ ‘addicted to games,’ and ‘a wasteful son.’

 

Lin Wangye knew this all too well.

 

In his past life, these were exactly the same labels slapped on him—copied 1:1, without a single change.

 

The only difference this time was that Lin Wangye really wasn’t as capable as his father.

 

Most of the time, Lin Wangye saw Lin Shen acting lazy and absorbed in games, always joking around, rarely showing any sign of ambition or hard work.

 

But ever since his grandfather passed away, his father had transformed almost overnight. He went from a college student obsessed with trivial worries like whether washing his hair in cold water would affect his virility to a competent, independent leader. His growth had far outpaced Lin Wangye’s expectations.

 

Facing a similar situation before, Lin Wangye had had a very clear sense of his own abilities and limitations.

 

He had been shielded so well by his family that such a heavy responsibility landing in his lap would have crushed most people. Yet Lin Shen didn’t just catch it—he held it steady.

 

That was the fundamental difference between him and his father. He had never worried about family matters growing up, but Lin Shen, behind the scenes, had been thinking about them all along.

 

Without putting in the effort, even someone with power in hand would repeatedly stumble when facing reality. Lin Shen’s victory in this battle wasn’t luck—it was the result of years spent studying and understanding the inner workings of Linhong.

 

With the winning bid announced, Linhong, already shaky after Lin Pengcheng’s death, seemed on the verge of collapse. Even the employees’ expressions at work carried a sense of despair, as if the company might go under at any second. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Linhong’s headquarters became crowded, with managers and partners practically breaking down the doors to seek cooperation.

 

In society, respect depended on personal strength.

 

The value behind the Yellow River Road commercial district was incalculable. A slice that size landing on Linhong’s plate opened multiple paths and allies. Industry insiders eager to connect almost flooded Lin Shen’s phone with calls.

 

Lin Wangye deeply agreed with the outside world’s label of Lin Shen as ‘playing the fool to catch the tiger.’

 

Though, when he had asked Lin Shen if his gaming was meant to make enemies drop their guard, Lin Shen had replied, “I’m really just bad at it and love playing.”

 

Company matters piled up, yet the employees’ spirit revived the moment the bid results were announced. Energy and morale surged.

 

Thanks to the solid foundation built years ago by Xie Ying and Lin Pengcheng, the headquarters had never been taken lightly. Internal management had always been strict, leaving behind capable staff for every position.

 

Lin Shen had plenty to handle, but there was no need to overexert himself like before.

 

Step by step, everything was organized, and the company finally began moving upward at a visibly noticeable pace.

 

Lin Wangye, who had been given a nominal vice-president role to bolster appearances while Lin Shen was securing investments outside, soon relinquished the title once the company got back on track.

 

After all, no matter how loyal ‘Xiao Lin’ was, at heart he was still doing assistant-level work.

 

The vice-president position was critical—keeping the company’s internal management ecosystem stable wasn’t a role anyone could occupy, even if they were close to the top leader.

 

No rules meant chaos. Xie Ying and Lin Pengcheng had upheld that principle for over a decade, and Lin Shen wasn’t about to change it.

 

Lin Wangye had no objections.

 

With his connections, even if his father assigned him to guard the entrance without pay, he could happily sit in the small pavilion at the company gate, skipping decades of detours and entering retirement mode early.

 

As long as Lin Shen was in charge, his little amusement cart would never run out of coins.

 

With the project determining Linhong’s survival secured, Lin Wangye finally relaxed and began planning a trip to Sigwell to see Shi Yuan. He decided to wrap up his current tasks, organize matters at the hotel, and then set off.

 

Approaching the end of the workday, he started openly slacking in the CEO’s office. Lin Shen could only shake his head with a half-smile, flipping through his files while asking, “So, when are you leaving?”

 

Curling up on the sofa, Lin Wangye calculated the dates. “Next weekend. The finals of ‘Singing Heavenly Voices’ are then—I promised my sister I’d watch. I’ll leave after that.”

 

“Good.” Lin Shen raised an eyebrow slightly, signed the last page of a document, and set it aside. “Your sister didn’t spoil you for nothing. You get a first-class merit for helping take down that shameless jerk.”

 

Lin Wangye’s tail practically shot straight up after the praise.

 

He puffed out his chest proudly. “Of course! You have no idea how perfectly my plan to be the ‘third-party male bestie’ worked. I found out she was pregnant before that jerk even knew! Then I went all out encouraging her dream of marrying into a wealthy family, and she freaked out without thinking! I heard that jerk’s family still refuses to acknowledge it.”

 

Back when the marriage had been arranged, the two families naturally had some interactions. The Chen family wasn’t as strong as the Lin family, but their future looked promising enough—they were a decent match.

 

Even though the engagement was broken and relations soured, they were still in the same social circle. Any stirrings didn’t escape Lin Shen’s ears.

 

Now, there were countless people scheming to get close to him.

 

He had once bumped into Chen Zhiyuan during a social event. The guy had obviously started regretting his behavior and made a point of showing a smiling face, bowing and forcing a handshake, hoping to reconnect.

 

Lin Shen recalled that smug expression and laughed, letting his usual biting sarcasm roll:

 

“Exactly. The Chen family cares too much about social status—they’d never accept someone like her. After the miscarriage from all the emotional stress, she went around claiming the Chen family bullied her. With all that drama, who would want to marry their daughter into the Chen family? And back when she was engaged to my sister, he was still running around? Serves him right. Shameless gets what it deserves.”

 

“Ah.” Lin Wangye sighed, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. “We’re really terrible people.”

 

Lin Shen snorted dismissively. “What moral code do you follow with people like that? I hope they get run over by a car every day.”

 

“Ha!”

 

The two chatted casually, and time flew by. Once Lin Shen finished his work, the secretary came in and collected all the files on his desk. On her way out, she ran into Lu Chengxuan.

 

Before the public bidding results were announced, Lu Chengxuan rarely came by. Even when he did, it was mostly in the evening when Lin Shen worked late and the office was empty.

 

But since the results came out, Lu Chengxuan had inexplicably stopped hiding—it was as if he’d taken the wrong medicine.

 

Now, everyone in the office could often see his car parked downstairs at the end of the day. Calm and composed, he’d walk straight into the building and take the elevator to the top floor.

 

Lin Shen, always busy and thick-skinned, didn’t see anything odd about it.

 

It was Lin Wangye who noticed. Seeing Lu Chengxuan, he muttered unconsciously: “Brother Lu, aren’t you usually really busy? How come you seem to have so much time lately?”

 

The remark indirectly alerted Lin Shen. He suddenly realized Lu Chengxuan had been showing up a lot more often recently.

 

He closed his pen and looked up, puzzled. “What are you doing here?”

 

“Picking you guys up after work.”

 

Then Lu Chengxuan’s gaze shifted to Lin Wangye, sprawled on the sofa. “Weren’t you talking in the group about wanting barbecue? I’ve booked a spot.”

 

“Yay!” Lin Wangye’s eyes lit up instantly. He did a sit-up from the sofa. “I’m gonna hit the bathroom! Wait for me!”

 

And just like that, he shot off like a firecracker, disappearing in a flash.

 

After knowing Lin Shen for so many years, Lin Wangye still had at least a basic read on him.

 

Lin Shen was just slow to react because he’d been so busy lately. The moment the right signal clicked in his mind, he could instantly sense something was off.

 

Watching Lu Chengxuan stroll over to the desk and casually pick up the proposal to skim through it, Lin Shen suddenly asked, “You weren’t this free before, always shuttling people around in cars.”

 

Night was falling, and the last rays of the sunset painted the sky like watercolor stains on a gray canvas.

 

Lu Chengxuan turned his head, and the soft golden light from the floor-to-ceiling window fell on his profile and eyelashes, lending a gentle glow to his otherwise indifferent features.

 

He countered calmly, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

 

Leaning back in his chair with arms crossed, Lin Shen studied him up and down, lifting a brow slightly. “You must have a reason for doing this. So… did I make a mistake putting Xiao Lin here? Was it unnecessary?”

 

Lu Chengxuan paused for a moment, then denied, “Not the kind of reason you’re thinking. I just… wanted to pick you guys up after work.”

 

Lin Shen nodded as if believing him, then a small smirk appeared. He rested his elbow on the armrest, fingers lightly intertwined, tilting his head just slightly. “How do you know what I’m thinking? I didn’t say anything.”

 

Lu Chengxuan studied him for a while, realizing he was teasing, and just stayed silent, letting it slide.

 

“Enough. Let’s not get sidetracked.”

 

Lin Shen tucked away his playful teasing and straightened his expression, lowering his voice as he asked seriously,

 

“Heart for heart—what’s going on?”

 

Lu Chengxuan’s eyes flickered with hesitation, as if unsure whether to speak. Seeing this, Lin Shen’s temper flared immediately. He got up and grabbed him by the collar, ready to demand an explanation—when suddenly, a loud shout came from the doorway:

 

“I’m back!”

 

Lin Wangye barreled into the office like an arrow, and seeing the two almost pressed together by the desk, he slammed on the brakes, spun on the spot, and shouted:

 

“Not done yet! I need to go again!”

 

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