"Brother Tong? I remember Brother Tong is actually a year younger than me. Why is he getting married?"
Lin Yan was very confused. Lin Tong had also received modern education, just not abroad.
However, his not going abroad wasn't because he didn't want to. It was because his second aunt was ill at the time, and as her only son, she couldn't bear to let him leave.
If it weren't for his second aunt's objections, Lin Tong would have studied abroad with her. But it wasn't too late, she just didn't expect him to get married so early.
"Your second aunt isn't well, and she wants to see Brother Tong married and have children quickly. But Brother Tong's marriage was his own agreement. When he wrote to us, I felt he was quite satisfied."
Father Lin also felt it was a pity. Lin Tong was the only legitimate male heir in Lin Yan's generation. He had no concubines or secondary wives, and only Yan Yan as his child.
His younger brother, on the other hand, had taken several wives and had several children besides Lin Tong. However, they were all boys. As the only girl, Lin Yan was very loved by her parents.
This was also why he was able to send Lin Yan abroad to study back then.
"Is that so? Then I'll make the trip on my father's behalf. But I'm also very curious what kind of person Brother Tong's wife is."
Lin Yan agreed. She knew the reason wasn't that simple, but she didn't expose her father. She really needed to leave for a while.
There were things she needed to do personally, and her father definitely wouldn't let her do them.
However, she hadn't forgotten her appointment with Ye Xiu Yuan. Lin Tong's wedding date was still some time away, so she wasn't in a hurry to get there.
On the day of the appointment, Lin Yan arrived at the Peace Hotel early. It wasn't that she wanted to see Ye Xiu Yuan sooner, but she needed to see Mr. Du.
"I will be leaving Shanghai for a while. My father hopes you will take care of him. I think he might be hiding something from me, which is why he's sending me away."
Lin Yan earnestly entrusted Mr. Du.
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of Minister Lin for you and won't let anyone harm him."
Mr. Du readily agreed. He didn't know who Minister Lin had offended, but in Shanghai, it was quite simple to protect someone.
"Thank you, Boss Du!"
"But didn't Boss Lin have someone to meet today? Is something going on, Boss Lin?" Mr. Du teased.
"Boss Du is joking. It's just Mr. Ye who asked to discuss some matters with me. This is only my second time meeting Mr. Ye, so it's a bit early to discuss anything, isn't it?"
"Then does Boss Lin need me to investigate Mr. Ye's background?" Mr. Du offered enthusiastically.
He valued Lin Yan greatly now, as she was very capable, and it was best to keep such a person in his own hands.
If not for her age, he would definitely have married Lin Yan. Marriage would have been the best way to bind her to him, but he also understood that this was not possible now.
After all, Lin Yan was too proud. He didn't want to break that pride now, as he wasn't sure if she would still have the same capabilities if her pride was gone.
All his factories relied on Lin Yan. He believed Lin Yan must have more blueprints and more technology yet to be revealed.
So, all he could do now was to build a good relationship with Lin Yan and make her work for him, bringing him more surprises.
If Lin Yan were to choose a husband, that husband must be someone he could control. This was also why those who pursued Lin Yan were all undesirable.
In fact, there were heirs of influential families who were interested in Lin Yan, but Mr. Du had fended them all off.
He had done it discreetly, without Lin Yan's knowledge. After all, if Lin Yan knew about this, it would certainly create a rift in their cooperation.
"No need, he's just an insignificant person," Lin Yan said casually.
When a waiter knocked on the door to inform her that the person she was waiting for had arrived, Lin Yan took her leave from Mr. Du.
After Lin Yan left, her expression turned serious.
It seemed that the cooperation with Mr. Du could no longer continue. Originally, she had only wanted a temporary patron, but this Mr. Du seemed to want to control her.
She didn't want her efforts to be in vain for someone else. She didn't want to be a pawn in someone else's hands.
The cooperation with Mr. Du had started out happily, but after gaining weapons, Mr. Du's desire for power seemed to have grown.
If they continued to cooperate, she felt that Mr. Du would definitely not grant her freedom. If he couldn't control her completely, he would surely choose to destroy her.
If she couldn't be used by him, then she certainly couldn't be used by anyone else. Mr. Du had already seen her capabilities.
With such capabilities, in this chaotic era, no matter which faction she joined, she would bring significant help to that faction.
Her most important enterprise now was not these military factories she cooperated on with Mr. Du, but the pharmaceutical factory hidden beneath the health supplements.
It was fortunate that Mr. Du didn't know about this pharmaceutical factory, otherwise, his regard for Lin Yan would have deepened. Then, Lin Yan wouldn't even be able to leave Shanghai; he might have controlled her directly.
The waiter walked ahead of Lin Yan and knocked on the private room door. Upon hearing a "Come in!" from inside, he pushed open the door.
"Boss Lin, please!"
The waiter was very polite to Lin Yan. He knew that the person in front of him was a friend of Boss Du, someone even Boss Du treated with utmost courtesy. Therefore, he dared not be negligent in the slightest towards Lin Yan.
"Thank you!" Lin Yan said and walked into the private room.
Ye Xiu Yuan was already in the room, waiting for Lin Yan. Upon seeing her enter, he breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had been quite worried she wouldn't show up.
"Hello, Boss Lin! Please have a seat!"
"Mr. Ye is polite!"
After greeting Ye Xiu Yuan, Lin Yan sat down in the chair he pulled out for her.
After Lin Yan was seated, Ye Xiu Yuan went to the door and instructed the waiter a few words before returning to the table to sit down. The waiter closed the private room door from the outside.
"May I ask why Mr. Ye wished to see me?" Lin Yan asked directly.
Ye Xiu Yuan then explained his purpose, sharing his observations and feelings about Shanghai, and expressing his curiosity about Lin Yan.
"What are Boss Lin's thoughts on the current situation?" Ye Xiu Yuan looked at Lin Yan, seemingly expecting her to offer a different perspective.
To save the nation, many people had walked many paths, but none seemed to have brought about any change.
The minds of the populace remained apathetic, their lives as difficult as ever. Previously, the common people only bore two great mountains on their backs, but now a third mountain had been added.
These pressures made the common people at the bottom of society suffer immensely. Ye Xiu Yuan also wanted to find a path to save these people.
He had been lost before, but now, seeing the changes in Shanghai, he felt that the "industrial salvation" spoken of by merchants was not merely an empty ideal.
With the existence of someone like Lin Yan, industrial salvation seemed truly achievable.
Therefore, he was very curious about Lin Yan's views on the current situation and what path she would choose to save the country.