Lin Ran looked sorrowful. "You're going on a business trip? When will you be back?"
"The day after tomorrow."
Lin Ran nodded helplessly.
Luo Yao said, "There's an auction tomorrow night. Why don't you go on behalf of Luo Corporation?"
She wanted to keep Lin Ran occupied, fearing he might seek out Liu Ruxue if he got bored.
With her away from home, she couldn't give Lin Ran any chance to disappear.
Lin Ran was taken aback. "Luo Corporation? Can I really represent it?"
Luo Yao replied, "You're my husband, of course you can. I'll have Uncle Fu accompany you tomorrow. Buy whatever you like, and don't worry about the cost."
Lin Ran grinned. "Alright! Hehe! Tomorrow's my payday."
Luo Yao knew that Lin Tianba wanted to discuss the Lin Family dividends with Lin Ran the next day. After a moment of silence, she still reminded him, "If anything happens, make sure to contact me."Lin Ran nodded. "Got it."
...
Time flew by, and the next day arrived. At 8 a.m., Lin Ran arrived at the agreed-upon restaurant with Xu Kai.
Lin Tianba hadn't shown up yet.
As the father, he had to assert his authority and would never arrive before his son.
Though the meeting was set for 8 a.m., he deliberately planned to show up at 9.
Lin Ran waited for only five minutes. Seeing that Lin Tianba hadn't arrived, he decided not to wait any longer. Before leaving, he gave Xu Kai a few instructions.
At 9 a.m., Lin Tianba finally arrived at the restaurant with his family, hoping to sway Lin Ran through familial affection as a last-ditch effort.
Upon entering the room, he saw Xu Kai and two assistants but no sign of Lin Ran.
"Where's that little brat... I mean, where's that rebellious son of mine?"
Xu Kai responded politely, "Mr. Lin has already left. He said since you're not in a hurry to hand over the money, neither is he."
Lin Tianba was stunned. He took a deep breath and said, "Who said I don't want to give him the money? Tell him to come back, and I'll give it to him right now."
Xu Kai replied, "I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, but Mr. Lin Ran said he's going back to sleep. If there's anything else, it can wait."
Lin Tianba was so furious he almost couldn't catch his breath.
If he didn't resolve this matter today, the shareholders would surely make his life miserable.
"Sleeping in the middle of the day? What kind of bad habit is that? Tell him to come here, and I'll give him the money right now."
Xu Kai said, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Lin Ran said it was your fault for being late, not his. If you want him to come back, you'll need to show some sincerity."
Lin Tianba frowned. "What do you mean?"
Xu Kai smiled politely. "If you want Mr. Lin Ran to come back, you'll need to kneel and beg him."
Lin Tianba's eyes widened. "What? You want me to kneel and beg him? Has he lost his mind?"
Xu Kai maintained his smile. "So, will you kneel or not? If not, I'll leave right now and won't trouble you any further."
Lin Tianba suppressed his anger. "Tell him there's no way I'm kneeling."
This time, Xu Kai didn't say another word. He stood up and prepared to leave, with the two assistants following suit.
Lin Tianba was dumbfounded, while Liu Yuemei and Lin Jian were equally shocked.
"Wait!"
Just as Xu Kai was about to step out the door, Lin Tianba called out to him.
Xu Kai turned around with a smile. "Have you made up your mind, Mr. Lin?"
Lin Tianba gritted his teeth and said, "I'll kneel. You! Make! Him! Come!"
Xu Kai shook his head. "No need for Mr. Lin Ran to come."
He then took out his phone and dialed Lin Ran's video call. After several rings, Lin Ran finally answered.
Through the video, Lin Ran was indeed lying in bed, looking as if he had just woken up.
"Xu Kai, what's up?"
Xu Kai said, "Sorry to disturb your rest, but Mr. Lin Tianba wants you to come over."
Lin Ran yawned. "No need for me to come. You can handle it for me. Tell him to kneel, apologize, hand over the money, and then get lost."
Lin Tianba trembled with rage upon hearing Lin Ran's words, barely holding back a string of curses. Now wasn't the time to lose his temper—he still needed Lin Ran to drop the lawsuit.
Xu Kai turned the phone's camera toward Lin Tianba. "Mr. Lin, you may begin."
Lin Tianba hesitated, gritting his teeth as he said, "Lin Ran, do we really have to go this far?"
Lin Ran snapped, "Are you kneeling or not? If not, I'm hanging up."
Lin Tianba closed his eyes and slowly knelt down.
A father kneeling to his son—didn't this rebellious brat fear it would shorten his lifespan? Wouldn't he feel the urge to kneel and apologize the next time they met?
A voice came through the phone. "Can't you speak? Are you mute?"
Lin Tianba clenched his teeth and said, "I'm sorry. It was my fault for being late."
Lin Ran shifted comfortably in bed. "Not bad, not bad. Mr. Lin, you're quite adaptable. A real obedient dog. Transfer the money to my account, and handle the rest with Xu Kai."
With that, he hung up, saved the screen recording, and drifted off to sleep with a satisfied smile.
This was a video that would bring him joy. He'd watch it whenever he felt like it.
Always thinking you could make me kneel? Let's see who's kneeling now.
After Lin Ran hung up, Lin Tianba sat in stunned silence, feeling as though decades of humiliation had culminated in this single moment.
He had actually knelt to Lin Ran?
Suppressing his grief, he stood up.
"Now can you drop the lawsuit?"
Xu Kai nodded and handed over a document.
"Transfer the money to the specified account and sign here. Once the money is received, the lawsuit will be dropped."
Lin Tianba had hoped to use familial affection to sway Lin Ran and avoid paying. But he never got the chance and now regretted being late.
He didn't dare try any tricks in front of Xu Kai, a lawyer, and reluctantly transferred the money to the specified account.
Beside him, Liu Yuemei and Lin Jian were heartbroken—this was their money.ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ
As soon as Lin Ran received the notification of the transfer, he sent a message to Xu Kai, who then arranged for the lawsuit to be dropped.
With the matter settled, Lin Tianba regained his usual bravado.
"Tell that rebellious brat he can forget about ever returning to the Lin Family. Even if he kneels, apologizes, and slaps himself, I'll never acknowledge him as my son again."
Xu Kai smiled and extended his hand. Lin Tianba was confused.
"What do you mean?"
Xu Kai said, "Mr. Lin, my name is Xu Kai. On behalf of Mr. Lin Ran, who has entrusted me with the sale of his shares in Suran Group, I formally notify you to convene a shareholders' meeting as soon as possible. I will act as Mr. Lin Ran's legal representative to handle the matter."
Lin Tianba was stunned. "What?"
Xu Kai handed him another document.
"This is the authorization certificate and the share sale proposal. Please review it, Chairman Lin."
Lin Tianba took the document and read it over and over, his eyes filled with shock.
Lin Ran was selling his shares in Suran Group?
This would have a massive impact on Lin Tianba, potentially altering the entire structure of the group. His position as chairman might be at risk, and even if he retained it, he would lose his influence in shareholder meetings.
After all, Lin Ran held 30% of the shares, while Lin Tianba held 21%. Together, they could control the entire group.