"Grandfather... I..."
Lin Zhiping looked at Elder Lin, his lips quivering a few times, his eyes full of struggle and unwillingness.
"What's the matter? Something went wrong?" When Elder Lin saw Lin Zhiping's expression, his gaze hardened, and he no longer cared to massage his sore back, asking loudly.
Lin Zhiping knew that he could hide things temporarily, but not forever. Seeing his grandfather's reaction, he let out a resigned sigh and said, "Well, I went to Jinyu Group this morning, and as a result..."
He recounted the cold treatment he had received at Jinyu Group to Elder Lin. Noticing the old man's face turning iron blue, he then said, "In the end, I found an opportunity to sneak into President Lin's office and saw that she was not actually busy, but was deliberately leaving me hanging. So I asked her why she was doing this, and she said..."
"She said what?" Elder Lin, thinking about their betrayal, was burning with anger.
Lin Zhiping hesitated before finally saying, "She said... it was Qingxue who asked her to do this..."
"What?!" Elder Lin's face changed dramatically when he heard Lin Zhiping's words, and he asked incredulously, "How is that possible? How could she possibly influence the General Manager of Jinyu Group?"
Lin Zhiping sneered inwardly, his lips trembling as he feigned hesitation and said, "I noticed that President Lin's look at Qingxue was somewhat off, perhaps... she is a lesbian? They might be in that kind of relationship, which is why she was able to influence President Lin..."
"Lesbian is what?" Elder Lin didn't quite understand and asked.
Lin Zhiping explained to him then.
"What?!" After listening to Lin Zhiping's explanation, Elder Lin's face turned iron blue with fury.
He was a rather stubborn and conservative old man, who simply could not accept homosexuality, which was an affront to the reputation of the Lin Family.
It was like yesterday when he had sent Lin Zhiping to make contact with Lin Qiaoxia, hoping that if possible, Lin Qiaoxia would fall to their side, so that the Lin Family might have a chance to ascend as the new power in Jinling.
But that was because Lin Zhiping was a man, and if he got together with Lin Qiaoxia, it would be considered a normal relationship between a man and a woman; why would he object?
However, both Lin Qiaoxia and Lin Qingxue were women, and though their union could also bring benefits to the Lin Family, Elder Lin found this shocking news too much to handle.
Seeing Elder Lin's expression, Lin Zhiping inwardly sneered and then said, "Grandfather, when I was just leaving, I saw Qingxue. She mocked and ridiculed me, laughing at our ignorance, thinking we could take away the contract she had worked hard to negotiate. She's now planning to set up her own venture, using her small company to collaborate with Jinyu Group, completely bypassing our Lin Family!"
"What?!"
Elder Lin had not yet processed the explosive news from Lin Zhiping when he learned that Lin Qingxue was planning to venture out on her own, and he was both shocked and furious.
"Has she gone completely mad? She even wants to set up on her own, avoiding us and having direct contact with Jinyu Group, hoping to keep it all to herself?!"
Lin Zhiping said, "Grandfather, I think she must have had this idea for a while, ever since she came back from the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains last time. She lied about curing your illness and spent over five hundred million. When you refused to give her the money, she started having ideas about us!"
"Hmph!" Elder Lin remembered the incident from a while back, and the indignant expression of Lin Qingxue also emerged before his eyes.
"How dare she betray us? She's only alive because I raised her. Even the little company she set up as a hobby was funded with my money. She thinks she can avoid me and go her own way, without my permission? No way!"
Elder Lin said angrily, looking at Lin Zhiping, "You go and call everyone back for a meeting. When that wretched girl returns, I'll show her discipline with family law, to let her understand just who has the final say in the Lin Family!"
"Yes, Grandfather! I will take my leave first!" Lin Zhiping nodded lightly, then bowed his head and left Elder Lin's room.
After closing the door, Lin Zhiping's eyes flickered with a cold light, whispering to himself:
'Hmm, you brought this upon yourself, girl. How dare you scheme against me, making me lose face today!'
Indeed, ever since Lin Zhiping came back from Wuhu Plaza, he had been constantly pondering the experiences of yesterday and today.
Then he began to suspect that Lin Qingxue might have been in cahoots with Lin Qiaoxia all along, and yesterday she deliberately played him for a fool. She claimed that Lin Qiaoxia liked him, causing him to misunderstand and, in his self-confidence, to approach Elder Lin. Today, he'd been ruthlessly played by Lin Qiaoxia!
So, when Lin Zhiping returned, the more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He decided to strike first and went to complain to his grandfather, asking for traditional family punishment to be applied to that wretched girl!
Punish her until she was half dead, make her obediently listen to them from now on. They would no longer vie for power because, after all, Qiaoxia only favored her. This wretched girl would then be dedicated to making money for them, which was sufficient.
He wouldn't have to bother himself with thinking about how to get rich all day, just parasitize off Lin Qingxue's efforts.
"Humph, humph, humph..." Lin Zhiping sneered as he left Elder Lin's room and went to inform the rest of the Lin Family.
Three o'clock in the afternoon.
Lin Qingxue finally returned to the Lin Family Villa.
"Miss, the master has asked you to attend a meeting in the conference room."
She had just arrived at the door, in the process of changing her shoes, when the butler with a neat comb-back came over and said to her.
"Oh, I know."
Lin Qingxue didn't think much of it and nodded. Then she put on her slippers and headed to the second-floor conference room.
When she entered the conference room, as soon as she opened the door, all the seated people looked at her with cold eyes, silent, their gazes extremely frosty.
"Uh... what's this about..."
Seeing their icy stares, Lin Qingxue's expression turned timid, and she spoke in a feeble voice.
But when everyone ignored her, Lin Qingxue tried to find a seat for herself, only to realize...
There were no vacant seats for her in the conference room.
"Qingxue, I have a question for you, and I want you to answer honestly," Elder Lin, seated at the head of the table, said coldly as he looked at Lin Qingxue, suddenly speaking in a deep voice.
"Ah?" Lin Qingxue, somewhat flustered, responded and quickly nodded, saying, "I would never deceive Grandfather."
Elder Lin's expression remained unmoved as he asked, "Has Jinyu Group decided not to cooperate with our Lin Family anymore?"
Lin Qingxue pressed her lips together, nodding, "Mmm..."
She thought to herself, this had nothing to do with her. It was their own fault for changing their representative, which upset Jinyu...
Elder Lin did not know what she was thinking and further inquired, "Has Jinyu Group chosen a new partner, your own small company that you founded?"
Upon hearing Elder Lin's words, Lin Qingxue wondered how they found out about it.
Looking towards Lin Zhiping, Lin Qingxue thought it must have been her cousin who guessed from her earlier conversation with Mu Jinyu.
But how could he be so sure that Jinyu Group would choose her? He couldn't possibly know that Mu Jinyu was the chairman of Jinyu Group!
With this in mind, Lin Qingxue braced herself and said, "Yes..."
She was about to explain that although she was cooperating with Jinyu Group through her small company, she still intended to share the benefits with the Lin Family and was not planning to completely exclude them.
Elder Lin then asked in a stern voice, "Alright, you admit that you intend to hog it all by yourself! Guards, apply the family punishment!"