Chapter 125: Old Lin, Do You Want a Wife?

"Hmph, a bunch of spineless cowards! Backing down at a critical moment like this means we’ve lost all leverage over the Qin Group."

With a roar, ornaments on the coffee table were sent scattering across the floor. Leng Tianyi was currently beyond furious. He had always been at odds with Lin Li and had even plotted numerous ways to eliminate him. Although he hadn't succeeded, a deep-seated enmity had been firmly established between them.

Originally, Leng Tianyi had hoped to leverage the power of the Four Great Families to dispose of Lin Li more quickly. Their initial efforts had actually been quite effective; they had successfully severed Lin Li’s supply chains. If they could have maintained that momentum, they surely could have forced the Qin Group to bow and admit defeat, and Lin Li would have had no choice but to beg for mercy.

Everything had been going according to Leng Tianyi’s plan, and he believed success was within reach. Yet, he never imagined that at the decisive moment, the others would develop cold feet. Their reasoning was simple—so simple that it struck Leng Tianyi as absurd. They were willing to abandon tangible benefits for something as ethereal as "reputation." Was that even possible? Was it realistic? From Leng Tianyi’s perspective, such a thing was absolutely unacceptable.

At that moment, Hou Ling, the mother of Leng Ningxue, spoke up: "Since things have reached this point, there is no need to be so insistent. To force an impossible outcome is the mark of a fool. You know as well as I do that the Four Great Families of Jiang City can only resolve this issue if they stand united. By acting this way, aren't you just pushing them into the opposition?"

Leng Tianyi scoffed, "And what would you have me do? Just stand by and watch these people throw away such a golden opportunity? If it were still the Qin Guosheng of before, that would be one thing—that old man had no real talent, and there were plenty of ways to make him pay. But this kid is clearly much tougher to handle than we anticipated."

It was evident that Leng Tianyi held Lin Li in high regard. The current Qin Group was growing at a savage pace, and all of it was inextricably linked to Lin Li. Leng Tianyi feared that if Lin Li made a major move in the future, it would be too late for the Four Great Families to resist. That was exactly why he had agreed to cooperate when Ye Aotian approached him.

"Forget it. These matters are beyond the understanding of a woman. I'm leaving!"

Leng Tianyi stormed out and immediately went to relay the situation to Ye Aotian. Although he knew the Four Great Families were far from being of one mind, the current state of affairs had truly exceeded Ye Aotian’s expectations. He had assumed his tactics would at least cause Lin Li some headaches, yet he hadn't expected Lin Li to reverse everything so easily using public opinion.

Even so, Ye Aotian remained unfazed. "Uncle Leng, please rest assured. Since I gave you my word that I would make Lin Li pay for his initial rashness, I will not break my promise. Although his methods this time were indeed more surprising than we anticipated, I am confident that a kid like him cannot truly touch us."

Ye Aotian’s eyes burned with intensity. "Don't worry, leave this to me. There won't be any issues; I will personally handle everything."

Despite his lingering concerns, Leng Tianyi could only nod and agree, given how firmly Ye Aotian had spoken. Once he had seen Leng Tianyi off, a smile spread across Ye Aotian’s face. "Good thing I knew this wouldn't be simple and made preparations in advance, otherwise, I don't know how much trouble I'd be in."

***

The current head of the Qin Group was Su Lan, but many strategic decisions originated from Lin Li. Unlike others, Lin Li detested sitting in an office, which meant he wasn't always up to date on the finer details of the company’s operations. Consequently, upon Su Lan’s suggestion, he decided to hire an assistant to help him stay informed on the Qin Group’s situation as quickly as possible—not just regarding finances, but every aspect of the business. Only by gaining comprehensive control could he make better decisions.

However, when Lin Li saw his new assistant, he couldn't help but frown.

"Xu Miaoling?"

Lin Li glanced at Fang Tai, who was standing beside him, and nearly burst into laughter. The moment he saw Xu Miaoling, he knew exactly what was going on.

"Tell me, Fang Tai, are you playing a joke on me? This is the assistant you hired? Did you even clear this with Su Lan?"

Fang Tai coughed twice. "Brother Lin, is there a problem? We need an assistant by our side, and shouldn't it be someone stunning? I think she’s perfect."

It was clear that Fang Tai hadn't chosen an assistant based on qualifications, but on how "appealing" she was. Xu Miaoling’s beauty had clearly hit the mark for him. Lin Li sighed; it seemed not everything could be left to a rough-around-the-edges guy like Fang Tai.

Still, he hadn't expected Xu Miaoling to show up here. At this point, Lin Li understood exactly what Ye Aotian was trying to pull. The woman before him held a very special identity: Xu Miaoling, one of Ye Aotian’s most loyal female subordinates. There was another like her, but unlike Xu Miaoling, that one specialized in assassination and rarely appeared in public. Xu Miaoling, on the other hand, was relatively versatile and far more capable than her enemies suspected.

What shocked Lin Li was that Ye Aotian would go so far as to send Xu Miaoling to his side just to deal with him. Did he not realize that Lin Li had a natural affinity for women? Furthermore, Xu Miaoling was destined to be one of the women in Ye Aotian’s future harem. While she wasn't as critical as the main heroine, winning her over would be a massive advantage for Lin Li—not only could he sway her perspective, but she could also help him manage many of the company’s problems.

Thinking of this, Lin Li couldn't help but laugh out loud. Xu Miaoling looked at him, bewildered, wondering if the man had lost his mind. Meanwhile, Fang Tai, seeing Lin Li laughing, looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"Others said you’d definitely scold me if you found out, but I didn't believe them. Brother Lin, with such a beautiful assistant by your side, you should be thanking me!"