Chapter 444 - Compromise (2/2)

“Where’s your father?” Lin Changhe asked.

Lin Ze said, at a loss, “In the study. He received a couple of calls from the municipal-level officials. We had to put forward a solution, or they’d intervene by force.”

“I’m meeting your father. I will inform you after we make the final decision.” Lin Changhe nodded. These were all within his expectation and he also answered calls a couple of times on his way home. The Lin Family was shouldering unprecedented pressure.

Lin Changhe entered the study and Lin Ze waited outside by the door, eavesdropping and stopping other people from approaching.

“You’re back? What’s going on?” Lin Changting gave his brother a glance and did not raise his head. He knew Qin Sheng, who always demanded a big price for negotiation.

Lin Changhe said, “It depends on our decision now.”

“Go ahead, I can take it,” Lin Changting squinted and said. He was getting old in one night, almost using up all of his strength.

Lin Changhe said in a stable tone, “He promises to stop, but has two conditions. If we refuse, he’ll beat us to the graveyard.”

“What are they?” Lin Changting said with a low voice.

Lin Changhe relayed Qin Sheng’s first condition to his elder brother and eyed him. Lin Changting frowned, but didn’t show his viewpoint. He thought for a few minutes and nodded. “That’ll be okay. Other people must help. Just an apology, for the sake of Lin Family, I can do anything.”

Lin Changhe, who was afraid that his elder brother would refuse, was relieved a bit. His elder brother seemed to have thought about a lot and understood that the most important thing for them now was to protect the Lin Family, which was the root of all their accomplishments.

“What about the second?” Lin Changting asked.

Lin Changting rose suddenly the moment he heard Qin Sheng’s second condition from Lin Changhe. His voice was shaky with anger. “This i-i-i-is freaking robbery! How dare he! Our Lin Family would never do that! 40%? Does he have any idea of what 40% means?”

“Elder brother, I’ve tried my best. Qin Sheng only gave us half a day to think about this. If we don’t respond in time, he’ll take it as a refusal and will have a bigger plan for us,” Lin Changhe said with a sigh.

Lin Changting grabbed a ceramic ashtray and smashed it down to the floor in a howling rage and shouted, “I’ll never ever agree to this! I don’t believe that he can go that far. Our Lin Family can spare no efforts to fight against him.”

“Elder brother, for your information, the incidents we encountered last year were all done by Qin Sheng. And in his words, it was not him, but the Qin Family. I have no idea with the so-called Qin Family is yet.” Lin Changhe was calm, knowing that he was always not the one to make the decision, and this still depended on his elder brother, Lin Changting.

Lin Changting said nothing more, but just clenched his fists and locked his jaw, with an impulse of killing Qin Sheng floating in his mind.

At this very moment, Lin Ze opened the door and rushed in. “Dad, don’t you understand what we’re facing? 40% is not such a heavy price to pay to save us now, and we’ll still have 60% anyway. Moreover, you’ll give it to Susu, your own daughter, one of the Lin Family. Why are you so angry? If you don’t agree to it, we’ll lose everything and incur a great debt.”

Lin Changhe added, “Elder Brother, that is quite correct. I also thought the 40% was too much, but if we refuse, the Lin Family will be nothing, and we’ll have nothing then.”

Lin Changting, shedding tears, had never felt so helpless. He had been making all his efforts to maintain the Lin Family. How did everything move onto the wrong track? And everyone was standing on the opposite side of him, so what could he do now?

Lin Changting squatted down on the floor, with his forehead against his knees, waving at Lin Changhe and Lin Ze. “Leave me alone, I need some time alone.”

Lin Changhe and Lin Ze exchanged a tacit glance and left without saying anything, waiting for Lin Changting to make the final decision. But Lin Ze didn’t understand Lin Changhe, who would stand with his brother at any time with any possible result, even if it might be bad.

Time went by, but Lin Changting was still in his study, and nobody went to see him. It was almost sunset, and the other people of the Lin Family became even tenser.

Finally, when it was exactly 6 o’clock, Lin Changting compromised.

In the meantime, he made another decision that Lin Changhe would be the decision-maker of all the affairs of the Lin Family, and he would never participate in anything after this.