Chapter Thirty-Three: Old Master Lin

But just now, Li Lan had already openly provoked Shen Ye.

So the atmosphere in the private room was still somewhat awkward.

At that moment, someone else pushed the door open and came in.

It was an old man with snow-white hair, walking slowly, yet carrying an air of uncommon authority.

When Li Lan saw Yang Yuanqing, she had already been deeply shocked.

Now, seeing this old man, she was even more astonished.

Yang Yuanqing’s wealth ranked among the top eight in County N.

But this old man’s fortune placed him in the top three, perhaps even top two, in all of County N, and he might even contend for first place. What was more, it was said that he also held vast business interests in Yang City. Compared with the great figures of Yang City, people like Qin Zhentian were still far beyond him, but in County N, on this little stretch of land, he was the sort of man whose slightest move could shake the whole place.

His surname was Lin.

His full name was Lin Zhuocai, though everyone addressed him respectfully as Old Master Lin.

But why would a man of Old Master Lin’s stature come to this private room?

Li Lan was filled only with endless confusion. She knew her own affairs best; compared with the scale of her small business, the gulf between her and Old Master Lin was beyond imagination. As for the impoverished relatives of the Shen family, they could not possibly have attracted Old Master Lin here. In the end, her gaze could not help but settle on Shen Ye.

Yang Yuanqing was in the hotel business, so it was only natural that Shen Ye, with his fine cooking skills, could draw him in.

But Old Master Lin was not in the hotel trade. How could a young man as ordinary-looking as Shen Ye possibly move him?

Amid Li Lan’s shock, Old Master Lin looked at Shen Ye and raised the glass in his hand. “You’re Shen Ye, aren’t you? This old man would like to toast you.”

Seeing such an elder with silver hair toasting him, there was nothing else to say; age alone commanded respect.

Shen Ye immediately stood and drained the wine in his cup. “Forgive me for being blind, old sir. May I ask who you are?”

Old Master Lin smiled. “I have an unfilial son named Lin Weitian, an unfilial daughter-in-law named Wang Yunfang, and a lovely granddaughter named Lin Xiaolei. Do you know who I am now? You may call me Old Lin.”

“So you are Lin Xiaolei’s grandfather, Old Master Lin.” Shen Ye set down his cup. “May I ask what business you have with me?”

Old Master Lin smiled again. “That unfilial son of mine, and that unfilial daughter-in-law, are not entirely useless when it comes to business. They have learned a few things from me. But when it comes to raising a daughter, they are astonishingly stupid. They drove their daughter to run away from home and wander outside. After you finally helped bring her back, they still refused to repent. In fact, they pushed her all the way into that so-called internet addiction center.”

“I’m old now, and at first I didn’t even know what this newfangled thing called an internet addiction center really was.”

“It was only after the Chopstick Hero incident blew up that I looked up some information and learned what such places really were.”

“I truly must thank Chopstick Hero for rescuing my granddaughter. Otherwise, I dare not even imagine what that fellow Yang Feikuang would have done to her with electric shocks.”

“I also dare not leave my granddaughter in the care of my son and daughter-in-law, those two fools.”

Ordinarily, people would not expose their own family shame.

But the stupidity of Lin Weitian and Wang Yunfang had truly been too great.

So great that the entire business circle of County N had heard of it, and it had long since become a laughingstock.

Old Master Lin no longer cared about airing his family’s disgrace.

He continued with a smile, “From now on, let my granddaughter stay with me. Just now, at the hotel, she saw you. I’ve come in her stead to thank you once.”

Originally, Lin Xiaolei had wanted to come herself. But earlier, in the restroom, she slipped and fell, leaving her with a bruised and battered face. A young girl cared about her appearance; she did not want to meet Shen Ye looking like that. She wanted to dress up prettily and come see him another day.

“So that’s what this is about. It’s nothing worth mentioning.” Shen Ye smiled. “I’m an outsider, so there are some things I shouldn’t say. But sometimes I still have to say them. Children are children, after all. It’s impossible to make them spend every waking moment studying. They should be given proper time to relax and play.”

“Parents who send their children to an internet addiction center merely because they go online are even more foolish than I can understand.”

Old Master Lin nodded, then sighed. “Exactly those two worryingly stupid fools.”

He gestured, and a middle-aged male secretary stepped forward beside him, taking out a gilt-edged business card and handing it to Shen Ye.

Old Master Lin said, “This old man owes you a great favor. This is my card. If you ever need anything in the future, you may come to me. So long as it is within my power, I will see it done.”

This was an extremely weighty promise.

Old Master Lin was no small figure; he was one of the major powers in County N.

Seeing how sincere the old man was, Shen Ye could only accept it helplessly. Glancing at the card, which seemed to bear the title of chairman of Star Group, he had no intention of ever asking this old man for help anyway. So he merely gave it a cursory look and tucked it casually into his pocket.

When Old Master Lin saw how completely unconcerned Shen Ye seemed, a trace of surprise flickered in his heart. He seldom handed out business cards.

Yet this young man had received his card without the slightest reaction.

Moreover, this young man faintly did not treat him as some wealthy magnate. It was as though he were merely someone worthy of equal conversation.

What an extraordinary young man.

What he did not know was that Shen Ye was now a roaming hero of the city. Wealthy merchants, underworld bosses, anyone who committed unlawful acts and crossed the threshold of evil would be cut down without mercy.

With such powerful conviction behind him, Shen Ye naturally would not look up to Old Master Lin.

After a few more polite exchanges with Shen Ye, Old Master Lin finally left the private room.

...

Then, Shen Ye’s relatives in the room, such as his eldest uncle Shen Baoping, his fourth uncle Shen Guoping, his aunt Shen Xiaohong, and his second aunt Shen Xiaofen, were all utterly stunned.

Earlier, Yang Yuanqing had already been a famous wealthy businessman in County N.

One could say that because of Shen Ye’s cooking skills, he had personally come forward, making three visits to the thatched cottage, as it were, to invite Shen Ye.

And then there was Old Master Lin, the richest or second-richest businessman in the entire county.

What was more, such a person had even said that he owed Shen Ye a favor; with just a word from Shen Ye, he would help.

Shen Ye was truly remarkable. In one stroke, he had made the acquaintance of such powerful businessmen.

He was really about to rise.

Not only the relatives, even Shen Jiaping and Lin Mei, as his parents, were dazed and reeling. They had never imagined that their son would suddenly come to know so many big names.

As for Li Lan, she felt utterly wretched.

At first, she had looked down completely on the impoverished relatives of the Shen family, thinking they were all trash. Who would have expected Shen Ye to know wealthy figures like Yang Yuanqing and Old Master Lin, men far more powerful than she could ever compare with? At this point, let alone her wanting Shen Ye to close his shop; if Shen Ye really called Old Master Lin and asked him to intervene, he could make Li Lan unable to survive locally.

Li Lan deeply regretted having offended Shen Ye.

If only she had embraced his thick thigh, her own business might even have expanded a little.

As for Shen Die, his mood was equally impossible to describe. He had never imagined that his cousin would be so formidable. And what about Wen Xiuting, going with his cousin? Would she live well?

There are three kinds of people in this world.

One kind, after a divorce, wishes the other party well.

Another kind, after a divorce, wishes the other party well, but not as well as themselves.

And the third kind, after a divorce, hopes the other party ends up miserable.

Shen Die belonged to the second kind. He had finally, with great difficulty, married no, taken as his wife a rich woman like Li Lan. He certainly did not want Wen Xiuting to live better than he did.

And then, once again in the dead of night, I ask for your recommendation votes. Please, give me recommendation votes! I’m working very hard with three chapters a day, so throw those votes my way!