Just then, a voice boomed like thunder.
"Stop! What? Don't you want the money anymore!"
The voice wasn't loud, but the words, especially the last few, held an indescribable magic for the group of doddering old men, who were currently acting so aggressively.
Everyone froze mid-action.
At the same time, all eyes turned to the source of the voice.
There, a young man stood in their sight.
Scanning him up and down, the leader quickly recognized him as Lin Hai, the second young master of the Lin family.
Recognizing his identity, the leader quickly snapped out of his daze.
He then coldly said, "Oh, Lin Hai, if I understand you correctly, you're going to sign on behalf of your father?"
Before Lin Hai could speak or react, the man continued, following his own train of thought.
"It's fine if you sign for your father, anyway, you're all part of the Lin family. Your service is the same."
As he spoke, the man brought the pen and paper to Lin Hai.
However, Lin Hai had no intention of signing at the moment.
He didn't even need to look at the items to know what they were.
These people were planning to make a quick exit.
In the past, seeing these people would have made Lin Hai furious, if not outright enraged.
But now, as if his mind had gone haywire, he actually started to chuckle.
The old men standing before him also looked perplexed.
One of them, unable to contain himself, asked, "Lin Hai, what are you laughing at? Are you going to sign or not? Give us a straight answer."
Seeing that the atmosphere was ripe, Lin Hai slowly opened his mouth.
He uttered the words he had prepared and held back, one by one.
"Sign? Why wouldn't I sign? Once I sign, our Lin family will be the sole dominant force. When the Lin family rises, don't come scrambling to get in."
Hearing the unusual undertones in the man's words, the man standing at the front immediately frowned.
And before this man could speak, Lin Hai was about to snatch the pen and paper, and then, scribble his name on the paper.
However, this time, before Lin Hai could put pen to paper, the man who had handed him the items stopped him.
"What are you doing?"
Noticing the man's action, Lin Hai cast a cold glance.
"Lin Hai. What exactly do you mean?"
The man's voice had clearly softened, as through Lin Hai's words, he sensed something was amiss.
Lin Hai remained unhurried.
He raised his head, his eyes sweeping across the surroundings.
Confirming that everyone present was focused on him, he laughed even more exaggeratedly.
"What? Regretting it?"
"Alright, let me tell you the truth. Our Lin family has plenty of money. I've saved up quite a bit over the years. Aren't these just risk assets? I, Lin Hai, will buy them in my personal capacity. Consider it filling the gap."
Indeed, over the years, Lin Hai had made a considerable amount of money outside using the Lin family's name.
Furthermore, his woman's family was itself a substantial conglomerate.
He certainly wasn't short of money.
Although doing so meant watching his hard-earned money go down the drain, his heart ached.
But thinking that after this, the Lin family would truly belong to him, Lin Hai felt less pain in his chest.
Lin Hai might not have felt pain, but the old men who heard his words were now as turbulent as a water surface ravaged by a fierce wind.
The leader, in particular, began calculating deep in his mind.
If Lin Hai truly had money, even though the Lin family's setback this time was unavoidable, they wouldn't be critically wounded.
With the Lin family's momentum and their already formidable competitiveness in the business world, they could completely emerge from the gloom within a year or two at most.
If he withdrew his money now, he wouldn't get a single cent later.
In business, the most important thing was harmony to generate wealth.
With this thought, he couldn't help but turn and quietly ask the opinions of the rest of the group.
Initially, some people insisted on withdrawing.
But the minority obeyed the majority, and besides, no one was against making money. Their insistence completely crumbled within seconds.
At the same time, the leader's tone further softened.
"Second Young Master, do you truly intend to do this?"
"Of course!"
Lin Hai said, turning around and glancing at the woman behind him.
Even so, his mouth didn't stop moving.
This was his home ground, and he wouldn't miss any opportunity to perform.
"When we came, we were ready to disburse the funds. Go and ask Manager Xiong. I believe that batch of funds should have arrived by now."
The woman's expression was hesitant.
However, she verbally agreed with Lin Hai.
"I suppose so."
Without much thought, Lin Hai directly took out his phone and dialed Manager Xiong's number. He then eagerly switched the call to speakerphone.
"Hello!"
"Young Master Lin, what is it?"
"You received my money, right? I want to acquire those assets in my personal name."
His voice wasn't loud, but it was full of presence and swagger.
Before he could receive a reply from the other end of the phone, the leader could no longer hold back.
"Second Young Master, Second Young Master, we've thought about it. We won't make trouble anymore, no more trouble!"
"And afterwards?"
Lin Hai gazed at the people before him with a smug look, waiting for their exciting response.
Finally, the moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
From this moment on, within the Lin family, his word would be law.
Lin Hai's lips curved slightly, eventually turning into a proud, faint smile.
However, just as this smile was about to erupt into a hearty laugh from his throat, Manager Xiong's voice from the phone interrupted his mirth.
"Young Master, what money?"
"What?"
The joy that had been lingering on Lin Hai's face instantly froze at these words.
Those who were about to leave also stopped in their tracks.
Silence descended upon the surroundings.
All attention was focused on the phone.
Seeing this, Lin Hai was about to turn off the speakerphone.
But unfortunately, before Lin Hai could act, the person on the other end clearly took the lead.
"Young Master, there's no money."
Lin Hai felt as if he had been struck by a sledgehammer to the forehead.
How could this be?
He had organized the money yesterday, and the woman had handled it for him today.
After a moment of frantic thought, Lin Hai's gaze fell upon the woman behind him.
"Where's the money? What's going on?"
The woman had been agreeing with Lin Hai incessantly since yesterday.
Now, with everything ready on her family's side, she could no longer hide it, nor did she need to.
"Lin Hai, today is the end of your Lin family."
"Are you crazy?"
Looking at the woman's ferocious expression, Lin Hai couldn't react for a moment.
However, her next sentence resolved the doubt lingering in his mind.
"Lin Hai, for so many years, I've endured humiliation, waiting for this very moment."
"What? You!"
While others might not understand the meaning of these words, how could Lin Hai not?
At this moment, Lin Hai raised his hand and slapped the woman fiercely across the face.