Chapter 31: Lin Haoning’s Concern

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Kowloon Tong lies at the northern edge of Kowloon City. The area is renowned for its low-rise bungalows and scattered clusters of villas, shaded by luxuriant trees, with winding paths gently enveloped in verdant foliage. It possesses the tranquil elegance of a country suburb, far removed from the clamor of the city.

It was not merely an oasis within the metropolis, but also a favored residential district among many of Hong Kong’s ordinary tycoons.

Deep within this villa district stood an elegantly designed and lavishly furnished mansion—the residence of Lin Haoning, the eldest son of the Lin family.

At that moment, Lin Haoning was inside the villa, holding a telephone receiver and speaking with rapt attention.

“Good. You’ve done exceptionally well. I’ll credit you with a major achievement this time. I’ve seen all your efforts and kept them in mind. In the future, I certainly won’t treat you unfairly…”

After ending the call, Lin Haoning gently set down the receiver. Yet the expression on his face gradually darkened, and an imperceptible gloom crept across his brow. It seemed that the news from the other end had not been entirely to his liking.

“Darling, what’s wrong?” Cao Shaoling keenly caught the fleeting shadow on her husband’s face and asked softly from where she sat beside him.

As the eldest granddaughter of the Cao family, a renowned billionaire clan in Hong Kong, Cao Shaoling came from a background comparable to that of the Lin family. Both families possessed formidable financial strength and extensive influence. The Cao family’s principal business focused on construction materials, encompassing several vital industries, including steel, timber, glass, and paint. Its industrial foundation and competitiveness in the marketplace were both exceptionally strong.

The marriage between the Lin and Cao families was undoubtedly a strategic alliance between two powerful houses. Through the integration of resources and the complementing of their respective strengths, the two families sought to promote more substantial development for their enterprises, both within their own fields and across the wider market, achieving a dual leap in family power and influence.

During the years since marrying into the Lin family, Cao Shaoling had served as the crucial link between the two houses. Through closer cooperation, she had indeed helped both families achieve remarkable progress and development in their respective fields.

Among the wealthy clans of Hong Kong, such marriages and partnerships were regarded as common and natural means of encouraging resource sharing and mutual advantage.

They not only strengthened the close ties between the families, but also provided powerful support for the continued prosperity and expansion of their enterprises.

Consequently, in Hong Kong society, marriages and alliances of this kind were often viewed as mutually beneficial arrangements and received broad recognition and respect.

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Not long after their wedding, Lin Haoning decided to move out of the Lin family villa with Cao Shaoling and establish a household of their own, beginning a private life as a couple.

Although he had left the Lin residence, Lin Haoning had spent the past several years working under the careful guidance of his father, Lin Wan’an. He had accumulated considerable experience, but most of the time he had played a supporting role and had never been able to display the full extent of his abilities. Nor had he effectively incorporated the power and resources behind Cao Shaoling into his own career.

Only recently had his father, Lin Wan’an, begun seriously considering the question of succession. This change presented Lin Haoning with an unprecedented opportunity to develop independently.

He seized the rare chance with both hands. Not only did he devote himself completely to demonstrating his outstanding talent and profound potential in the business world, he also made clever and precise use of the Cao family’s resources as leverage.

As a result, Wanfeng Fan Factory achieved spectacular growth within just two or three months. Its performance soared, the market response was extraordinarily enthusiastic, and the scale of its progress was striking.

More shrewdly still, Lin Haoning used the Cao family’s influence to lay a hidden trap in the business world, launching a precise and covert campaign against his younger brother’s Huafeng Cement Factory. Little by little, he weakened the factory’s competitiveness, causing its customers to depart one after another and its market share to suffer severe erosion.

The Cao family itself was a supplier of construction materials and had dealings with countless property developers. A single word from Lin Haoning was naturally enough to persuade many smaller businessmen in the property sector to stop using Huafeng’s cement and switch to brands produced by other factories.

This series of maneuvers revealed both Lin Haoning’s far-reaching calculations and his ruthless methods in commercial struggle. It also suggested that he had taken the lead in the contest to become heir to the family business.

Lin Haoning’s decision to marry Cao Shaoling had unquestionably been made only after careful consideration. The formidable power represented by the Cao family behind her had clearly been one of the most important factors. That power was reflected not only in the Cao family’s strength as a supplier of construction materials, but also in its broad influence throughout the industry, its wealth of connections and resources, and its deep-rooted family foundation.

“I just received a call from one of the servants at Father’s villa. She said that our second sister has gone back and is having a long conversation with Haoran on the rooftop terrace. The two of them have been exceptionally close since childhood. She is very likely to support Haoran with all her strength. Add to that the abundant resources of the Zhu family behind her, as well as the deep affection between our third sister and Haoran. If both of them stand on Lin Haoran’s side, then we truly cannot afford to underestimate his prospects.” Clear worry colored Lin Haoning’s voice.

“Your younger brother, Lin Haoran—he still hasn’t given up competing with us?” Cao Shaoling asked, her brows knitting tightly.

“Whether it is our second sister or our third sister, each married into a wealthy family, and the forces behind them cannot be overlooked. If both choose to stand with Haoran, he will undoubtedly gain a powerful advantage in this struggle for succession.” As he spoke, Lin Haoning slowly sat down. He crossed one leg over the other on the sofa, frowned, and sank into deep thought about the future balance of power within the family.

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He also understood that, ever since marrying Cao Shaoling, his character had gradually changed without his realizing it. That change seemed to have imperceptibly widened the distance between him and his second and third sisters.

He could refuse neither wealth nor power.

As the eldest son of the Lin family, he believed that he alone was the most qualified to inherit Wanan Group.

The closeness and unquestioning affection they had once shared had gradually become distant and indifferent. He could not help feeling a trace of helplessness and melancholy.

Yet in this game of family power, everyone was fighting for their own interests and positions. All he could do was continue forward, seeking a place for himself amid the tangled circumstances.

The steady loss of Huafeng Cement Factory’s old customers was naturally the result of his covert suppression.

The various changes Lin Haoran had brought to Huafeng Cement Factory had already reached Lin Haoning’s ears through informants such as Lin Yi.

Of course, one matter had been concealed.

When Lin Yi reported to Lin Haoning, he had skillfully hidden the fact that he had been defeated in his sparring match with Li Weiguo, claiming instead that the two sides had fought to a draw.

Lin Yi knew perfectly well that if the eldest young master learned he had lost to a smuggled immigrant whom he had casually rescued, his standing in Lin Haoning’s eyes might suffer a severe decline. Out of this concern, he chose to withhold the news of his defeat.

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