Chapter 62: The Matter of Agency Rights

Old Master Lin, unwilling to give up, pressed on when he saw that Lin Feng refused to offer his opinion. “No one’s asking you to get involved, just help us come up with an idea. After all, more heads are better than one! We’ve all racked our brains for solutions, but none seem ideal. You’re quick-witted—help us think of something!”

“Ah, who says I’m quick-witted? I’m the laziest person at home—Ruo Xi’s the one who does all the work!” Lin Feng was clearly not interested in interfering and continued to feign ignorance.

Old Master Lin looked at Lin Feng playing dumb and realized he wasn’t going to help. Still, he couldn’t let go of the thought. If Lin Feng were willing to join them in handling the agency rights, it would be much easier. After all, Lin Feng’s forcefulness was well-known among the other families, and few dared to provoke him. Lin Feng, as an individual, could always run if he lost, but the rest of them had deep roots here—where could they escape to? So, having Lin Feng handle things would be far more effective. Unfortunately, the boy simply refused to take the bait.

Just as Old Master Lin was about to continue persuading him, Lin Feng took the opportunity to shift the topic. “Uncle, Second Uncle, I know you both work in government, but I never learned exactly what you do. Care to enlighten me?”

The elders in the study, seeing the old man thwarted, now found the subject turned to themselves. Lin Feng was their junior, but one with a special status—they couldn’t ignore him. Lin Chuanming answered, “I’m mainly responsible for military equipment in the armed forces. Your second uncle is the mayor of Yanjing City—you must know what a mayor does.”

“Oh, that makes things clear. Who knows, maybe we’ll have relevant business together in the future!” Lin Feng said mysteriously, as if he’d just thought of something, and shot a meaningful glance at his uncles.

“Business together? And what could you possibly have to offer the military? Hold on—your uncle just said he’s in charge of weapons and equipment. Are you saying you have something better than the nation’s own arsenal?” Old Master Lin, ever the shrewd veteran, immediately caught the slip in Lin Feng’s words.

Lin Chuanming, hearing this, thought of the mysterious new operating system from Lin Feng’s company. They’d investigated the system’s origins but couldn’t trace its developer—only that Lin Feng had unveiled it for the first time. Remembering Lin Feng’s enigmatic ways, Lin Chuanming also looked at him with anticipation.

Though Old Master Lin had caught a hint of something, Lin Feng showed no sign of unease. After all, everything was safely in his mind—no one could truly know what he possessed. With an air of mystery, he told the anxious pair, “That’s a secret!”

Old Master Lin was so infuriated by this that he trembled, pointing at Lin Feng, unable to speak for a while. But he had no choice; he couldn’t force Lin Feng. All he could do was stew in silent anger.

Lin Chuanzhi, witnessing the old man bested by his own grandson once again, couldn’t hold back a laugh. The sound landed squarely in Old Master Lin’s ears, who glared at him and scolded, “What are you laughing at! If you hadn’t raised such a son, I wouldn’t be so worked up!”

Everyone in the study, seeing the old man so flustered he resorted to swearing, struggled to stifle their own laughter.

Lin Feng, seeing his father unjustly blamed, could only sympathize—after all, it was his own father getting scolded.

Old Master Lin had convened this family meeting hoping to force Lin Feng into helping him strategize, but Lin Feng didn’t take the bait. The meeting achieved none of the old man’s aims, and in the end, broke up hastily.

When Lin Feng left the old man’s study, the living room was empty. Only then did he check his phone and realize it was already nearly ten at night. He figured Xia Ruoxi must be back in her room, so he made his way there.

When he pushed open the door and entered, Xia Ruoxi had already noticed. She looked up from her desk and smiled, “You all talked for so long—how did it go?”

Lin Feng didn’t answer right away. He sighed quietly and shook his head. Seeing his expression, Xia Ruoxi grew anxious, “Did something happen?”

Lin Feng saw her concern and quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, nothing happened. It’s not what you think!”

“Then out with it!” Xia Ruoxi pressed anxiously.

Seeing her worry, Lin Feng hurried to explain, “We were discussing the agency rights issue in the study. Things are a bit complicated—too many families want a piece of the deal, and the old man’s side is having trouble managing it. Family matters always involve too many considerations—no one wants to offend anyone, so he wants to toss the problem to me. Where’s the fairness in that? They want the benefits without doing the work! I dodged it for now, but I have a feeling it’ll end up in my lap anyway.”

“Are that many families really coming to you?” Xia Ruoxi was astonished.

“Yes! None of them would come if there wasn’t money in it. Now that this opportunity is so attractive, every family is eyeing it—not just those in Yanjing, but prominent families from other provinces and cities, too.”

Perhaps even Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi didn’t realize just how envious their company’s profits made others. The domestic product had only been on the market for a short time, yet had already amassed tens of billions in sales. Everyone knew how high the profit margins were, and that all the money was clean and legitimate. So, when word spread that Lin Feng’s company was seeking foreign agents, the families flocked like hungry wolves.

“So, how do you plan to handle it?” Xia Ruoxi asked.

Lin Feng didn’t answer at once. He walked over to the bed, lay down, and replied lazily, “I’m already prepared to clean up after the old man, but I can’t agree too easily. I can’t give in at the first request, or I’ll never know what the old man will try next!”

“That’s no way to be! This is still your family. If Old Master Lin knew what you were thinking, he’d probably want to strangle you!” Xia Ruoxi exclaimed, exasperated.

Lin Feng laughed, “You have to admit, sparring with the old man can be quite fun. Besides, we can’t reveal all our cards at once. We have to play it by ear, reveal things piece by piece. If we show everything right away, the old fox will have us completely under his thumb.”

While Lin Feng and Xia Ruoxi chatted in their room, Old Master Lin was in his own room, confiding in Lin Feng’s grandmother. He looked at his wife, sighing with worry, “That boy is as slippery as an eel. No matter what I say, he just won’t take the bait. What are we supposed to do?”

Grandma Lin looked at him, both amused and exasperated. For all his age, he still couldn’t outwit a child. She teased, “All these years, and you still can’t get the better of a kid. You always think you’re so clever!”

Seeing his wife’s schadenfreude, Old Master Lin rolled his eyes. “You’re just enjoying my predicament, aren’t you? If we can’t handle this properly, our family will be on the losing end.”

Grandma Lin couldn’t bear his dejected look and offered comfort, “You can’t see the forest for the trees. You think people don’t know Lin Feng is back in Yanjing? The other day, you made quite a show picking him up—that was your goal, wasn’t it? Now that everyone knows he’s here, if things get too tense, you can just push it all onto him. He’s good at playing dumb, but so can you!”

“That’s right! Why didn’t I think of that? I shouldn’t have tried to negotiate with the boy—I should’ve acted first and explained later. That way, he’d have no choice but to deal with it!” Old Master Lin grinned slyly at her suggestion.

Grandma Lin looked at his scheming face with disdain, but the old man was thick-skinned and ignored her. Suddenly, he remembered Lin Feng’s comment about cooperating with Lin Chuanming and grew curious again. “At the meeting, Lin Feng mentioned he could work with our eldest, but only after learning he managed military equipment. I can’t figure out how he has the confidence to say such things!”

“No matter what gives him confidence, as long as he doesn’t betray his country, he can do as he likes. He’ll always be our grandson, and since he’s not a government official, any benefits will reflect on our family.” Grandma Lin comforted him.

“That’s what I think, too. But since he brought it up, he refuses to say exactly what the cooperation is. If we knew in advance, we could maximize our gains!” Old Master Lin replied, still dissatisfied.

Grandma Lin sighed, “Honestly, I don’t know what to say. The family’s past behavior was too much. There’s already a rift, and it’s normal for him to hold something back. We haven’t helped their family in ten years—what makes you think Lin Feng would help the Lin family wholeheartedly, sharing all his secrets? If you want to repair the relationship, it’s up to the family’s future actions. I only hope nothing like before ever happens again, or you’ll drive him away for good.”

“I know what you’re saying, but I want to make it up to him. The problem is, he doesn’t seem to lack anything. If I try to be nice now, he’ll just think I have ulterior motives!” Old Master Lin said, frustrated.

Grandma Lin just chuckled at his distress.