"Third brother, don't worry about the house. Second brother knows you're short on money right now, so I've already arranged a place for you. You can move in anytime." Luo Jichang was a little anxious because things that were about to turn out differently. "You see, everyone cares about you. We can't let Grandpa and Uncle down. Eldest brother, Ji Rong, Ji Zhen, and Ji Lan all put aside their work to come here and give you a grand welcome back."
Luo Jimin remained silent, his expression somewhat somber. He was well aware of his father's, his two older brothers', and his cousins' thoughts, and he knew their personalities and character. His previous feelings of being moved and surprised were nothing but wishful thinking. That warmth and happiness were just a mirage, something he could only dream of but never reach. Once the other party understood the formula and process, they would use all sorts of means to seize his family's shares.
Lin Hongmei remained silent. In front of outsiders, she respected her husband greatly. Even though she disliked the Luo family very much, she did not interfere or influence her husband's decision. Their decades of mutual support were the most precious thing in the world. Even if her husband made a wrong decision, she would follow him without any regrets.
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Chapter Sixty-Two: The Dagger Appears
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After taking Xiao Guli to the toilet, Lin Yao walked to his father Luo Jimin and said softly, "Dad, Lili is hungry. I'll take him home first."
Lin Yao knew that without his presence, the matter couldn't be resolved. Furthermore, the formula wasn't in his father's possession, so even if his father signed an agreement, it would be invalid because his father wasn't the owner of the formula. This subtle way of reminding him was the best solution Lin Yao could think of; after all, the family still needed to maintain a facade of harmony, and a complete breakdown in relations wouldn't look good.
"Oh, I also have a lot of work to do. I'll go back with you." Luo Jimin replied dejectedly, his voice so low that only Luo Jichang, who was standing very close to him, could hear him clearly.
"Second brother..." Luo Jimin looked up at Luo Jichang, but was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
"You little brat, you're always interrupting! What are you doing making a scene when adults are talking? If you want to go home, then hurry up and leave!" Luo Jichang shouted at Lin Yao. He finally understood that since Lin Yao started speaking, Luo Jimin's attitude had changed significantly. All indications showed that Lin Yao had a huge influence on his third brother, Luo Jimin, even more so than on his sister-in-law, Lin Hongmei.
"Then I'll be going now." Lin Yao ignored his second uncle Luo Jichang's scolding and greeted his father indifferently, "Dad, you can take a taxi home later."
"Wait, I'll come with you." Luo Jimin refused Lin Yao's suggestion. The key figures had all left, so what was the point of him staying here? Nothing could be discussed, and besides, there were still many things waiting for him to handle at Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory.
“Third brother,” Luo Jichang reached out to stop Luo Jimin, his gentle expression vanishing, “The group’s assets are now 210 million, and the 19% stake is worth 40 million. Are you still not satisfied? Then tell me your conditions.”
"We have no conditions, we won't sell, we won't take a stake." Lin Yao was annoyed by these greedy people and said firmly, "Since you brought up money, then I'll talk to you about money. Is forty million a lot? I suppose you know the market price. Drought-resistant drinks are selling for two thousand yuan a bottle on the black market. Getting a thousand yuan at the ex-factory price shouldn't be difficult, right? Forty million is only enough for forty thousand bottles of drinks, not even enough for half a truckload of our shipment. Don't talk to us like it's charity."
“If our family wanted to make money, buying your Huarentang wouldn’t be difficult at all.” Lin Yao decided to stop talking nonsense. “Dad, Mom, let’s go.”
"You little brat!" Luo Jichang, enraged, slapped Lin Yao across the face. At this moment, Luo Jichang hated Lin Yao intensely. He had just seen something that could bring unimaginable huge profits about to be in his hands, but it had been ruined. He could no longer tolerate this and just wanted to teach this little bastard a lesson.
With a slap, Lin Yao was hit across the face. He hadn't expected the other party to suddenly attack him, and he wasn't prepared at all. Little Guli in his arms was also frightened and started crying.
"What are you doing?" Luo Jimin rushed forward instantly and punched Luo Jichang hard, sending him sprawling against the armrest of the sofa. "If you dare touch my son again, I'll kill you!"
Lin Yao had been frail since childhood, and his life-threatening condition made Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei take great care of their son. In their hearts, their son was the most precious person in the world. When they saw their second brother, Luo Jichang, actually hitting Lin Yao, Luo Jimin's anger surged. He was so angry that if the other man hit him again, he might actually keep his promise and kill him.
Lin Yao was also burning with rage. Although his face didn't hurt much, his heart was bleeding. All the resentment he had felt since he could remember, from the Luo family's suppression of his family members, erupted in an instant. He secretly vowed to destroy Huarentang and make the Luo family return to their former poverty. His mother, Lin Hongmei, often mentioned that scene to him.
Lin Hongmei rushed to her son's side to carefully examine his face, then turned and glared angrily at Luo Jichang. Luo Jimin stared wide-eyed at everyone in the Luo family, his agitated emotions causing him to gasp for breath. Lin Yao, on the other hand, calmed his anger after making up his mind and focused on comforting the crying Guli.
Lin Yao's grandmother walked over hesitantly, glancing back at the old man sitting on the sofa every now and then.
"I'm sorry," Luo Jichang's expression changed instantly, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him, and a smile appeared on his face. "Third brother, I was a little too excited just now. I apologize to Yao'er."
"Isn't it because I was anxious? The whole family came from afar, all for the sake of future harmony and unity. I only got agitated because Yao'er wasn't cooperating." Luo Jichang turned to apologize to Lin Yao, his attitude very sincere. "Third brother, what Yao'er just said was an exception. Prices on the black market are unreliable, fluctuating greatly. According to our calculations, the ex-factory price should be capped at 300 yuan. For large-scale production, the ex-factory price absolutely cannot exceed 180 yuan."
“I know that your disaster relief efforts are currently a loss-making endeavor, and you don’t have much capital of your own. That’s why we need to stick together as a family and work together to maximize the value of this prescription and benefit more disaster victims and ordinary people.” Luo Jichang’s expression suddenly became somewhat smug.
“Third brother, we’ve actually already started cooperating, you just didn’t know.” Luo Jichang was finally ready to reveal the secret. “Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory has been acquired by Huarentang. The agreement was signed the day before yesterday, and the acquisition payment was completed yesterday. Now, the Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory that you’re manufacturing for is owned by Huarentang. We brothers are starting to cooperate. I called you here today just to deepen this cooperation and make it easier for us as a family to do things together.”
"Amin, sit down and talk to him. Be polite to your second brother," the old man said again from the sofa.
Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory was acquired? Why didn't I hear about this from Wen Youmin? Lin Yao was stunned by the news, anxiously trying to figure out how to solve the problem. Cooperating with the Luo family was obviously impossible, but they had just entered stable production; where could they find another contract manufacturer at this point?
Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei were also shocked by the news. The Luo family's actions were incredibly swift. They had been careful to keep it a secret, only letting Anyun Water Industry appear in the public eye. They never expected that the Luo family could find a place to commission production so quickly and even buy the pharmaceutical factory before their own family could. What were they going to do?
"Mom, let's go home." Lin Yao was at a loss for what to do, but he was extremely unwilling to cooperate with the Luo family. He could only try to understand the situation before making a decision. If all else failed, he would see if the contracted production agreement could be successfully implemented. Even if he had to cooperate with the Luo family temporarily, he would have to give in, as the interests of the disaster victims were more important.
Anyway, he had all the secrets in his own hands, and even his parents didn't know, so what was there to be afraid of? Lin Yao immediately comforted himself, and with that thought, he calmed down.
"Jimin, let's go home." Lin Hongmei felt that her son should have his own ideas. Staying here now was too passive, and he might be coerced by the Luo family into agreeing to some conditions. It was not suitable for him to stay any longer.
“Third brother, everyone wants to do their part to help the disaster victims. Grandpa and Uncle have always said so. If you insist on not cooperating, what will happen to those disaster victims? What will all the donors in the country think of you?” Luo Jichang lowered his voice and continued to persuade Luo Jimin with a compassionate tone, but Lin Yao could hear some smugness and arrogance in his tone.
"Here's what we'll do. Brother and Jizhen won't be staying in Chengdu for long. They're public servants, and time is tight. Go home and think it over. Give us your answer by tomorrow morning at the latest. Then we can all sit down together and discuss how to unite all of the Luo family's resources to expand our business even further."
Luo Jimin didn't say anything, just nodded slightly, and followed his wife toward the gate.
Things changed again when Lin Yao's grandmother approached. Accustomed to being ignored, she couldn't interrupt her sons' negotiation and just stood quietly to the side with a complicated expression. The conflict between her sons was causing the old woman great pain.
"Goodbye, Grandma. I'll come see you again sometime." Lin Yao noticed his grandmother's expression and said goodbye before leaving. This was the only greeting he gave after entering the house.
The family of three hurriedly left the Luo family's residence. As soon as they stepped outside, all three of them took out their phones and started dialing. Lin Yao, being younger and quicker, was the first to dial Wen Youmin's number. Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei only heard "The user you dialed is currently on another call." Just as they were getting anxious, they saw Lin Yao's phone to his ear and felt relieved, then surrounded Lin Yao.
"Uncle Wen, this is Lin Yao. Has Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory been sold to someone else? Is the entrustment agreement still valid?" Lin Yao asked directly.
"Oh, then please check and give us a call, either to me or my dad." Lin Yao hung up the phone, looked at his anxious parents, and comforted them, "Don't worry, we'll head to Xinglin Pharmaceutical Factory right away, and we'll all work together to figure something out. I think Uncle Wen himself doesn't know anything about this either. He said he'll call Grandpa Wen right away to check and then tell us. Let's go there and discuss it together. Hopefully, we can find a solution. If all else fails, we'll continue our cooperation for now. There's no other way."
Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei both felt that this approach was very good. While feeling anxious, Lin Hongmei also felt another emotion. Her son had finally grown up, and the great demeanor he was showing made her very gratified. More than 20 years of hard work had finally yielded a beautiful result, and she wanted to cry.
In the taxi, Xiao Guli was very obedient, quiet and silent, only gazing at the ever-changing scenery outside the window. Lin Yao also looked out the window, but the scenery didn't evoke any feelings in him. He was constantly thinking about the cause and effect of the whole incident and trying to come up with a solution.
After a long silence, Lin Yao let out a heavy sigh and said, "The Luo family is truly ruthless."
Luo Jimin and Lin Hongmei were taken aback, then sighed simultaneously and remained silent. The Luo family had suppressed them for decades, and they understood this feeling all too well. Luo Jimin no longer hesitated; it was best if this kind of cooperation never happened again.
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Chapter Sixty-Three Discussion
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