"Daddy, have you forgotten?"
"We're family! A loving, inseparable family!"
"The three of us agreed to always be together, didn't we?"
"...."
Seeing that Bai Yuelan's persuasion seemed to be working.
Hiding behind her, Lin Hao quickly seized the opportunity and played the emotional card.
His knees buckled, and he knelt before Lin Jianjun, speaking earnestly.
"Daddy! Although we are not biologically related, I firmly believe that our emotional bond over the years is stronger than mere blood ties."
"Brother Lin Xuan is neither loyal nor filial, even though he is your biological son. He constantly disrespects you in public and humiliates you."
"But I would never do that because you will always be my good daddy. If you don't mind, I want to take care of you in your old age!"
"......."
After his heartfelt speech.
Lin Hao spoke eloquently and reasonably.
He was full of confidence, 95% sure that Lin Jianjun would accept his proposal.
Because Lin Jianjun's only biological son—Lin Xuan.
Had already severed ties with him.
Now, only he could take care of Lin Jianjun in his old age, and given how much Lin Jianjun had doted on him.
So, Lin Hao knew that even if the old man was displeased, he had no choice but to rely on him for his later years.
As expected.
After he finished speaking, Lin Jianjun gave a bitter smile and silently approached Lin Hao and his mother.
Seeing this.
Lin Hao smiled triumphantly, spread his arms past his mother, and lunged into Lin Jianjun's embrace.
"Daddy~~ Hao'er will always be your precious son."
"We are family, a loving family. Even without blood ties, you will always be the father I respect the most."
Lin Hao, with a blissful smile, snuggled into Lin Jianjun's arms coquettishly.
Thinking that everything had been settled.
That Lin Jianjun would obediently and stoically accept the green hat on his head.
But the next second—
Lin Jianjun's face twisted with rage, and he clamped down on Lin Hao's neck.
Caught completely off guard!
Lin Hao was trapped by a firm elbow lock around his neck, unable to move.
Lin Jianjun, not letting up, grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it fiercely onto Lin Hao's head.
Bang!!!
At the same time, he cursed angrily:
"You bastard! You want to take care of me in my old age? You think you deserve that?!"
"All that talk was just to use me to get the last bit of my assets, wasn't it?"
"Let me tell you, family is sacred. And the bond between family members must be based on blood!"
"Yet you and your mother shamelessly claim otherwise. He's not my flesh and blood, and no matter what you say, I won't accept it!"
"I truly regret it! All these years, I actually believed the lies of you two scheming snakes, causing me to sever ties with my real son. You both deserve to die!!!"
"........"
With bloodshot eyes, Lin Jianjun continuously smashed the ashtray onto Lin Hao's head, his heart filled with endless rage.
He truly despised this mother-son pair.
Because of their interference, he had cut ties with Lin Xuan.
Thinking back now, his real son was so outstanding!!!
He had perfectly inherited his superior genes and should have been his greatest pride in life, but now...
It was all because of this mother and son!!!
If it weren't for them, he would have long been respected and admired because of Lin Xuan.
How could he have ended up with his company bankrupt, living in a tiny, rundown house?
Unforgivable!!!
And to think he once saw Bai Yuelan as his lifelong Goddess, believing her to be a virtuous wife and mother.
And to think he once regarded Lin Hao as his proudest son, wholeheartedly wanting to give him the best.
But in the end, what a slap in the face—this brat wasn't even his biological son!!!
The worst part is...
These two wretched people still refuse to repent and shamelessly say things like...
Blood relations don't matter???
Like hell they don't!!!
Lin Jianjun was furious beyond words, his hair practically standing on end from rage.
He was a staunch believer in blood ties.
Because there was a "throne" in the family to inherit, and he would never let it go to some neighbor's bastard.
No matter how close their relationship had been, it was all based on bloodline.
Now that he knew he and Lin Hao were not truly father and son, he couldn't stand the sight of him.
Especially recalling how he had doted on this bastard for decades, even neglecting his own son for him...
He was filled with bitter regret!
Especially when he recalled Lin Hao's fake-shy, soft "daddy" voice echoing in his ears—
He felt an overwhelming urge to vomit.
His hands instinctively applied more force.
The ashtray rose and fell repeatedly, pounding Lin Hao's head, as if trying to erase a disgrace, to end him completely.
"Daddy, Xiao Hao is hurting. Please don't hit me! I'm begging you!"
"Mommy, help! Daddy has gone mad!"
At first, Lin Hao could still struggle and call out.
But as Lin Jianjun's blows became more forceful.
Lin Hao had a strong premonition that he was about to be beaten to death...
His head was already cracked open, his body covered in blood, creating an extremely gruesome and violent scene.
"Ahhh!!! Lin Jianjun, let go of my son!!!"
At the side.
Bai Yuelan was terrified to the point of madness. Desperate to save her only son, she clawed and scratched at Lin Jianjun.
Unfortunately, Lin Jianjun was too furious to care about that minor pain.
Fortunately, at this moment!
Lu Bingkun and several company directors finally arrived.
Hearing Bai Yuelan's shrieks through the door, they instantly realized something was wrong.
They immediately burst in.
Just in time to witness Lin Jianjun violently losing control.
Terrified, they rushed over, working together to forcibly pull him away from Lin Hao.
"Old Lin, have you lost your mind?!"
"Is it worth throwing away your future over someone who isn't even related to you?"
"Chairman, calm down. The company is in crisis! You have more important matters to handle than wasting time on this."
"Exactly! You can always get revenge later. But right now, you must first seek forgiveness from your real son."
"Once the company is back on track, you'll have all the time in the world to deal with this pair!"
"......."
The company directors tried their best to persuade Lin Jianjun to set aside his hatred for now and focus on the more urgent matter…
Gaining Lin Xuan's forgiveness!!!
In truth, the shareholders didn't care about Lin Hao's life or death.
But if Lin Jianjun went too far and got arrested, who would negotiate with his son then???
So, no matter what, they had to stop him—at least until the company was out of danger.
Huff, huff~~~
Two shareholders held Lin Jianjun by the arms, one on each side.
The intense emotions had him gasping for breath.
But once they pulled him back, and his rage gradually faded, a creeping fear surfaced.
Damn it!
Why didn't I control my emotions just now?
I almost killed this bastard in a moment of blind rage.
If that really happened, a life for a life—I would've suffered a huge loss.
Looking at Lin Hao lying unconscious in a pool of blood—
Lin Jianjun turned his head away in disgust.
Instead, he turned to Lu Bingkun and the other directors, finding their advice more and more reasonable.
"Old Lin, think about it positively—this might actually be a blessing in disguise."
"That's right! Now you can kick this mother and son out of your house without any guilt!"
"Lin Xuan is your real son after all. Blood is thicker than water. The only reason he hasn't forgiven you yet is because of this mother and son, right?"
"As long as you sincerely apologize to him and swear to never associate with this mother and son again, I'm sure Lin Xuan will soften and forgive you."
"As for revenge... Once the company is back on its feet, you can deal with Bai Yuelan and Lin Hao however you want?!"
"After all, when you have money, you're free to do whatever you want."
"......."
Faced with the directors' relentless persuasion.
If it were before, Lin Jianjun would have scoffed at this idea and never done anything to hurt them.
But now....
The most urgent matter was indeed to repair his relationship with Lin Xuan.
After all, he was now his only son.
And he had inherited the rising Su Group, destined for a glorious future.
His own future retirement could only depend on Lin Xuan.
But after all the conflict between them, would Lin Xuan really acknowledge him again?
After voicing this concern...
Lu Bingkun and the others quickly waved their hands, signaling Lin Jianjun to relax.
"As the old saying goes: 'Only a father is truly good, a child without a father is like a weed.' Old Lin, don't worry!"
"Lin Xuan has your blood running through his veins—that's an unchangeable fact. He won't just stand by and watch the Lin Group collapse."
"But the key is that you must sincerely apologize. It can't be like before, where you just say empty words while still favoring Lin Hao and his mother deep down..."
"Exactly! Lin Xuan isn't stupid. He can tell at a glance whether you're sincere or just pretending. If you're not genuine, he won't forgive you."
"Chairman, this is your last chance. You must not be stubborn anymore! Success or failure hinges on this! You have to truly acknowledge your mistakes."
"Also, you must unconditionally transfer your shares to Lin Xuan, without setting any terms—this will show your sincerity!"
"That makes sense! Once Lin Xuan is the true owner of the company, he won't let his own business collapse."
"......."
The company directors grew more excited as they kept giving Lin Jianjun advice.
It was as if they could already see Lin Xuan taking over and revealing the formula for the Beauty Elixir.
Not only would the company escape bankruptcy.
It would instead turn this crisis into an opportunity, its market value skyrocketing, making it the latest billion-dollar conglomerate in Magic City.
As the biggest beneficiaries, their shares would multiply in value, turning them into highly respected and envied figures in Magic City.
As the directors were lost in their dreamlike vision...
Lin Jianjun, too, looked excited as he envisioned a bright future.
"Alright! I'll go find that b—... my good son right away."
"As long as Lin Xuan realizes that all the conflict between us was caused by that mother and son, he'll definitely forgive me, the innocent party."
"After all, ignorance is no crime! The ones truly at fault are Lin Hao and his disgusting mother!"
"......."
With just a few words, Lin Jianjun absolved himself of all responsibility, pinning every conflict between him and Lin Xuan entirely on the scheming mother and son.
He was already imagining Lin Xuan learning the truth, forgiving him, and the two of them living happily as a loving father and son again.
Then.
With a face full of disgust, Lin Jianjun glanced at the unconscious Lin Hao and the wailing Bai Yuelan.
Without looking back, he walked out of the employee dormitory.
Now, he knew who his real family was—who his true family was.
"Lin Xuan, my poor dear son~~"
"Daddy is coming to give you fatherly love~~"
On the other side.
"Chairman, safe travels!"
"We'll be waiting for your triumphant return, Chairman!"
"......"
Watching Lin Jianjun's disappearing figure.
The directors looked excited, respectfully seeing him off.
Compared to their previous indifferent attitude, now they were nothing but respectful.
But this was human nature…
Now that the Lin Group had a chance to turn things around, the directors naturally didn't want to offend Lin Jianjun.
Let alone just changing their attitude.
Even if Lin Jianjun asked them to kneel and kowtow, they would probably do so without hesitation.
Compared to the excited company directors…
"Xiao Hao!!!"
"Don't scare Mommy! Without you, how can I go on living?"
Bai Yuelan sobbed uncontrollably.
She wailed at the sight of Lin Hao, bleeding and unconscious, not even noticing Lin Jianjun had left.
This was the first time she had ever experienced such a traumatic event.
Her mind was completely blank—she didn't even think to call an ambulance
It was actually Lu Bingkun who stepped up, calling to his colleagues:
"Hey! Let's lend a hand! We need to get this kid to the hospital."
"Huh? Why should we? His life or death has nothing to do with us!"
Some of the shareholders were reluctant, afraid that Lin Hao's blood would stain their expensive suits.
"If this kid dies, Old Lin won't be able to get away with it. What if he gets arrested?"
"The company's survival depends entirely on Old Lin right now! It's best not to create unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, it's our interests that will suffer."
Hearing that this could affect them, the rest of the directors, though annoyed, begrudgingly called for an ambulance and arranged for Lin Hao to be sent to the hospital...