Free Web NovelChapter 232: Chapter 197: I Absolutely Cannot Be a Fool
"President Zhou, sorry, but could you please explain to your daughter that I’ve deleted her."
Then, he deleted and blocked her—a clean sweep.
He tilted his head back, looking up at the sun. The day was bright, with a blue sky and white clouds.
「A short while later.」
Zhou Ming’s call came in.
His voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but he apologized humbly, "I’m very sorry, President Lin. My daughter is immature. It’s my fault for not teaching her better. I’m sorry for the trouble she’s caused you."
"I was hoping to ask, what exactly happened?"
Just from the screenshot and his daughter’s tone, he understood why Lin Chu was angry.
His daughter didn’t even have the most basic manners.
She spoke as if Lin Chu were her subordinate. That condescending tone made Zhou Ming’s own blood pressure rise just reading it.
He even felt a wave of shame.
’My daughter’s behavior... it’s a disgrace to me as a father.’
Lin Chu thought for a moment, then gave him a general rundown of what had happened the previous night. He didn’t embellish anything, sticking only to the objective facts.
After hearing the story,
Zhou Ming was silent for a few seconds.
"I’m sorry. Again, I apologize. I’ll call her."
"As for President Lan’s situation, have you made any headway?"
He asked politely.
Lin Chu chuckled. "Let’s not trouble you with that for now. You should take care of your family matters first."
Zhou Ming sighed deeply again. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he hung up.
This whole affair was truly outrageous.
Even he thought it was outrageous.
’My daughter... has her temper really gotten this spoiled?’
’If I don’t step in, this is going to become a huge problem.’
...
After hanging up, Lin Chu found the whole thing absurd and laughable.
’If I ever have a kid and they turn out like that, I swear... I’d just disown them and kick them out.’
Of course, the fault of an unruly child lies with the father.
This was a clear case of a poor foundation from childhood.
A daughter should be raised with care and generosity, but Zhou Luan... this wasn’t that.
’This was just fucking careless parenting.’
...
He sat in his office, had a cigarette, and drank some tea for a while before calling Yang Huixian.
"How’s the background check on that file coming along?"
Yang Huixian replied, "I’m following up on it now. I’ll get back to you immediately."
Lin Chu said, "Whatever you have so far, send it over. I need it urgently."
"Okay, right away."
And so,
a few minutes later, Lin Chu had a detailed file on Lan Yuzheng in his hands.
It contained a considerable amount of information.
From this information, Lin Chu was able to piece together the complete trajectory of Lan Yuzheng’s life.
Lan Yuzheng was from Capital City.
He dropped out of high school. In his twenties, he started out as a caddie at a golf club in Capital City. Using his wits and schemes—and likely his good looks and physique—he latched onto a wealthy older woman.
About two years later, the woman took him on a trip to the casinos on Australia Island.
Perhaps some secret deal was struck, because he never went back. He stayed on Australia Island for a full six years, working as a junket operator.
His path forward was clear. He eventually became the contractor for a casino’s VIP room and even ran his own hotel.
Around the age of thirty, he had built his first fortune.
He then returned to Capital City and started a business related to golf, beginning by selling club memberships on commission and eventually moving into contracting projects and starting his own company.
Today, he has over 50 companies to his name with a dizzying variety of ownership structures. They are spread across the country—consulting firms, engineering firms, design firms—but most have a registered capital of only a few million.
Looking at all this...
Lin Chu came to a basic conclusion.
This man was a professional broker.
The kind who excelled at leveraging other people’s power for his own gain.
His main business was likely still the construction and renovation of golf courses.
He probably took on other odd jobs from time to time, grabbing a piece of the action wherever he could.
As for his background... it was all about how he presented himself.
It was just like the saying: when you’re away from home, your identity is whatever you make it.
He probably had some partners and had woven a network of mutual interests, but the connections were likely not that strong. For each "project," he would have to weigh the costs and benefits. His connections in the golf course construction industry, however, were likely much tighter.
This file, which cost half a million, also detailed three of Lan Yuzheng’s weaknesses.
First, the man was a compulsive gambler.
Second, he was known to have two mistresses in different parts of the country. He was unmarried, but both women had a son by him.
Third, he knew a lot of secrets. During his time on Australia Island, he had served many wealthy people and made quite a few enemies. Three years ago, he was in a high-speed car crash that nearly killed him. He still has an injury in his right arm to this day.
After finishing the file, Lin Chu lit a cigarette.
’It’s really true,’ he thought. ’Fortune favors the bold, and the timid starve.’
For someone like him to thrive and become so successful... it was actually... quite logical.
It was sheer luck that nothing had happened to him after all these years.
Of course, this was only the information that could be dug up through public channels and other means. It was uncertain if anything had been missed.
’What a scoundrel.’
With a person like this, you absolutely could not make any concessions.
Otherwise, there was no telling how big his appetite was.
Appeasing him would be like trying to put out a fire with firewood.
...
"I have a feeling someone might barge into my office soon."
"Have you ever slapped someone? A woman, specifically."
Lin Chu suddenly looked at Liang Jieyu, asking with a casual smile.
Liang Jieyu: ?
She was completely baffled for a moment.
With a somewhat forced smile, she asked, "Who? President..."
Her voice trailed off. ’Who did you piss off this time that they’re about to storm your office?’ she really wanted to ask.
But that was obviously not an appropriate thing to say.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
