Chapter 141 — Old Buffon's Origins

"Really, brother-in-law? I never would have guessed—you're a real firebrand," Yang Ce said, patting Wu Yunsheng's shoulder in admiration.

"I learned combat in the army when I was young," Wu Yunsheng said, a little embarrassed.

"Truly, you can't judge a person by his looks, nor measure a jj by its inches," Yang Ce observed with feeling. "Ah?" Wu Yunsheng gaped, having never expected Yang Cenbin to dare say such a thing—while Yang Xin burst out laughing. "Hahaha, little brother, I didn't know you had it in you—you're quite the wit."

"It's fine, it's fine," Yang Xin said, quite pleased. "Not bad—you've got the style of this big sister of yours. Anyone who didn't know better might really think we were blood siblings."

To be continued

652. Sun Lin's Past

"How are things over in Jidun City?"

Sun Lin's eyes lit up. He realized at once that if Guo Jinbiao was dead, then the territory in Jidun City presented a golden opportunity, one rare as a thousand-year flood, to expand outward.

"Not clear yet. No word has come in," Tian Qianren said.

"Right now Jidun City has no leader—it must be utter chaos. Could we take advantage of this to move in and claim a foothold there?" Sun Lin mused.

"The thing is, we don't know whether Baolin did it deliberately or not. If they killed Guo Jinbiao on the spur of the moment, then they probably have no preparations in Jidun City. But if it was long planned, then they've surely already got designs on taking over Jidun. If we go in then, the profits we could get wouldn't be much—splitting it half and half would already be quite good," Tian Qianren analyzed.

"Mm, you're right." Sun Lin nodded. "Keep a constant eye on developments over there."

"Understood," Tian Qianren said.

After hanging up, Sun Lin sank into thought—Jidun, Jidun. Suddenly he remembered what Yang Yanzhou had said before: one Songjiang wasn't enough—how about adding Jidun City on top of it?

Could Yang Ce have received some word in advance? To know even earlier than he himself did—this business seemed rather strange. Sun Lin also vaguely knew that Yang Ce and Baolin seemed to be on good terms, but even so, could Baolin have told Yang Yanzhou about something this secret? And from the look of it, the thing had happened last night, while Yang Ce had arrived in Donghai this very morning. Was it mere coincidence? Was he overthinking it?

Sun Lin shook his head. He could not figure it out, so he stopped trying. In any case, he would wait and see how things developed in Jidun.

He was still deep in thought when he saw his wife push the door open and come in. Sun Lin doted on his wife greatly—otherwise he could not have gone all these years without seeking out other women.

After Sun Jie was born, his wife had lost the ability to bear more children. Sun Lin was not without the wish for a son, but out of deep affection for his wife, he had never done anything to betray her.

Sun Lin shook off the doubts that had been clouding his mind, lifted his head, and said to his wife with a smile, "What brings you to my study? Usually I have to beg you to come here, and even then you won't."

"Oh, you old fool—it's all because of our little Jie," Mother Sun said with a sigh, settling onto the sofa in the study.

Sun Lin rose from the executive chair behind his desk and sat down beside his wife, saying gently, "I'm only thinking of our little Jie's lifelong happiness. A thing like this can't be rushed."

"Rushed? What do you mean, rushed?" Mother Sun took offense at once. "I think Yang Cenbin is a perfectly good boy. Why must you be so stubborn, you old thing? I'm telling you, if you stir up trouble again, I—I'll divorce you."

"What? Divorce?" Sun Lin was badly startled and hurriedly put his arm around his wife. "Xiaofeng, what are you saying? How could you divorce me over a trifle like this? I'm only doing this for our daughter's good."

"For her good? Ha! Have you even looked at how old our little Jie is? Because of the injury she suffered back then, she's been hostile toward men all this time. And you've heard the rumors flying around outside—people saying our little Jie is—never mind. Now that she's finally willing to have a boyfriend, you still have to poke your nose into everything."

"It's not that I'm poking my nose in. I just have to find out what Yang Juehuan really wants. What if he's after our family business? Once he gets his hands on it, he'll kick our little Jie to the curb."

"Little Jie is hardly lacking. She's beautiful—beyond question—and she has plenty of suitors. If you ask me, even if Yang Ce has ulterior motives, he'd be getting both wealth and beauty, and it wouldn't do little Jie any harm."

"That's hard to say. Our daughter is twenty-six this year, and Yang Ce isn't even twenty yet, is he? In a few years, once little Jie begins to age and lose her looks, by then I'm afraid—" Sun Lin smiled bitterly.

"Why must you think the worst of everyone? After the family fortune, after the family fortune—" Mother Sun was growing angry. "Fine, Sun Lin, let me ask you: when you married me back then, were you after my family fortune?"

"I—of course not!" Sun Lin shook his head and said firmly. "Haven't I never taken a single cent from your family? And besides, your family's business still depends on me to look after it."

At this, Sun Lin could not help feeling smug. Decades of struggle had won him his lofty position. From an unknown nobody at the start, he had become a man who made the winds and clouds obey.

"That's now. Back then I was a precious young lady, and you? You were just a worker fresh out of the army." Mother Sun said, "Don't you ever think about yourself? How did my father treat you back then? It was my mother who overrode everyone's objections and supported me. Otherwise, you'd have had no chance of marrying me."

"Heh heh, that's because your mother and you had far sight. And now I've made something of myself, haven't I?" Sun Lin said, somewhat carried away.

"Is that so? So because my father gave you a hard time back then, you felt resentful, and now you turn around and give Yang Ce a hard time?" Mother Sun switched tack. "You were just a lowly worker back then. Yang Ce is at least better than you were—he's a university student, and he's already got his own company."

"..." Sun Lin was left somewhat speechless by his wife's words and hung his head in silence.

"Besides, how do you know Yang Ce has no future? From what I can see, he doesn't even look twice at your little pile of assets. His achievements will surpass yours a hundredfold." Mother Sun went on scolding. "Just as you were sure you'd succeed back then."

"All right, all right, I'll stay out of it!" Sun Lin was thoroughly embarrassed. He recalled the events of those years and only then understood why his father-in-law had thought so little of him back then. Wasn't he looking at Yang Ce the same way today?

Still, back then his wife's family, though they ran a small company, could only be called comfortably off—nothing compared to what he had now. The heights he had reached were already hard for anyone to surpass.

The underworld emperor of a city—what prestige and glory that was.

He did not believe Yang Ce could surpass him, but he did think that at the very least, Yang Ce had to be capable of taking over from him. Otherwise, once the family business fell into his hands, it would gradually decline.

Perhaps it would be a bit better than handing it to that boy Sun Zhiwei, but in the end the Sun family would still slide into decline. At this thought, Sun Lin could not help feeling a little envious of Tian Qianren's two boys. The elder was sensible; the younger, though a wastrel like Sun Zhiwei, was not as childish as Sun Zhiwei—at least he was a martial arts fanatic. In the future, the elder could rule the underworld, and the younger would make a fine charging warrior.