In the penthouse suite of the Peninsula Hotel where the Southeast Asian consortium was staying, the Huangpu River sparkled outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lin Ao Tian's fingertips scratched across the rim of the crystal glass, the Bordeaux red wine flowed a deep purple in the light, mirroring the emerald ring between his fingers. The dragon pattern jade pendant that he had received three days ago at the old mansion was lying quietly in the inner pocket of his suit, and a warm heat was coming from the position close to his heart, as if reminding him that every move he made at this moment was related to the majesty of the main lineage of the Lin Clan in East China Sea.
"Young Lin is rather ambitious about the nickel mining project." Consortium representative Chan Ka Nin's Malay had a strong Cantonese accent, but it did not lose its sharpness in the interpreter's precise relay. He stared at the capital injection proposal of the Huading Group on the screen, his pupils behind his gold-rimmed glasses contracting slightly -- a cash injection of five billion dollars, accompanied by an underwriting channel from the London Metal Exchange, such conditions far exceeded the promises made by Starlight Capital.
"Mr. Chen should be well aware that Second Uncle's Starlight Capital can't even come up with the down payment." Lin Ao Tian suddenly laughed lightly and pushed his cell phone to the center of the desktop. The real-time exchange rate data was jumping on the screen, the 300 million dollars that Starlight Capital had pledged its equity in exchange for last night was now depreciating crazily with the news of the Federal Reserve's interest rate hike. Chen Jiayan's eyes skimmed over the dragon embroidery on Lin Aotian's cuffs, and suddenly recalled the scene he saw in the old mansion three days ago: the old master personally handed over the jade pendant of the East China Sea Lin clan's head to this young man, and the gilt dragons on the pendant were lifelike under the candle flame, as if they were going to rise up in the air in the next second.
The door to the suite was suddenly pushed open, assistant Chen Mo walked in quickly holding a file box, the brass latch on the corner of the box still carries the cold air from outside: "Mr. Lin, the Indonesian Ministry of Mining has just announced a new policy, the proportion of foreign investment holding shall not exceed 49%." The atmosphere in the conference room instantly froze, Chen Jannian's fingers on the desktop knocked out a rapid rhythm -- this is precisely the reason why he delayed signing the contract, Starlight Capital's commitment to 51% of the holding, after the introduction of the policy has become a mirror image of the water and the moon.
"So," Lin Ao Tian's fingertips crossed the tablet computer, pulling up three documents, "Huading prepared Plan B: Jointly set up a joint venture with Donghai Shipbuilding Group, with my mother's family business holding 51% of the shares." He looked towards Chen Jianian's suddenly widened eyes and continued, "Mr. Chen should have heard that the East Sea Lin Clan has three deep water ports in the Strait of Malacca, which just so happens to be able to solve the problem of transporting nickel ore."
The interpreter's voice trembled a little, Chen Jiayan finally realized that he had underestimated this young man's layout. Three days ago, the genealogy of the old mansion was revealed, it turned out to be not only the exposure of his birth, but also Lin Aotian's announcement to the entire business circle: behind him stood, the main lineage of the East China Sea Lin Clan, which controlled the lifeblood of Southeast Asia's shipping. When Star Capital is still relying on bank loans to put together funds, Huading has long completed the whole industry chain layout through the resources of the mother family.
"Lin Shao really is far-sighted." Chen Jianian's tone finally softened as he took the initiative to extend his hand, "On behalf of the consortium, I agree to cooperate with Huading." While shaking hands, he noticed the Patek Philippe wristwatch on Lin Aotian's wrist, which was the customized model for the centennial celebration of the Lin clan in East China Sea, and the miniature relief on the dial was the route map of the Malacca Straits -- a detail that was more convincing than any business proposal.
When he left the hotel, twilight had already dyed the sky. Lin Aotian leaned against the backseat of the Maybach, listening to Chen Mo's report on the latest developments of Zhou Group: Zhou Mingxuan's private account was frozen, Zhou Jianbang is pushing for an independent operation program for the brand in the board of directors, and the financial director sent by Huading has already moved into Hengyuan Mansion. The phone suddenly vibrated, and a message from Second Uncle popped up in the family group, "Tonight at eight o'clock, the old mansion ancestral hall will deliberate." The attached positioning is the lapis lazuli floor where he knelt all night when he was sixteen years old.
The candle flame in the ancestral hall swayed in the night wind, and Second Uncle Lin Zhenguo's figure was cut into broken silhouettes by the beams and pillars. The genealogy on the incense table opened to the page "Lin's Xueli", and his mother's name glowed faintly in gold under the candlelight. Lin Ao Tian noticed that the emerald buttons on his second uncle's cuffs had been replaced with rubies, the mark of a side branch descendant, a piercing contrast to the dragon jade pendant on his chest.
"I heard that you have gotten a joint venture in Indonesia?" Second uncle's voice was like a blade dipped in ice, "Using the mother clan's resources to suppress the same clan, you're a quick learner." He suddenly pointed to the genealogy, "But don't forget, the rules of the East Sea Lin Clan, a married daughter splashes out water, Xue Li has long been an adopted daughter of our Lin Clan, what gives you the right to call on her mother clan's resources?"
Lin Ao Tian stared at the reddened corners of his second uncle's eyes and suddenly understood why the other party was so eager -- Starlight Capital's capital chain was about to break and the Indonesia project was the last straw. He took out his mother's relics from his inner pocket: the yellowed account book, the signature of "Donghai Xueli" on the title page which was so strong that it penetrated through the paper, and the certificate of recognition of inheritance which the old master had personally endorsed back then.
"Second Uncle should be clear," He pushed the document to the incense table, "Mother never gave up her right to inherit the East Sea Lin Clan, and I, as her only heir, have the right to inherit all the resources of the main lineage." The candle flame suddenly pulsed violently, reflecting the obsidian dragon eyes on the dragon pattern jade pendant as if they were coming to life, "As for what you said about the ' same clan' -" He suddenly sneered, "When you forced the death of my mother's personal steward back then, you should have known that it was long overdue to settle the scores between the main lineage and the side branches."
Second Uncle's pupils suddenly contracted, and his fingers unconsciously touched his chest -- where the forged steward's resignation letter from back then was hidden. He didn't expect that this young man, whom he regarded as a concubine's son, would actually rehash the old case after sixteen years. Footsteps suddenly came from outside the ancestral hall, and the old master's attendant walked in holding a brocade box, and lying in the box was none other than the bronze token arrow that symbolized the adjudication power of the Donghai Lin Clan.
"According to the clan rules," the attendant's voice echoed in the ancestral hall, "the main lineage heir has the right to clear the accounts of the side branches for the past ten years." The moment the brocade box was opened, Second Uncle's ruby button suddenly burst and rolled down on the verdant stone floor with a crisp sound. Lin Ao Tian looked at Second Uncle's suddenly pale face and finally understood what his mother had said on her deathbed about "scales" -- not wealth or power, but the sobriety of keeping every conspiracy in mind, the claws and teeth that are silently sharpened when they are dormant.
The old mansion in the early hours of the morning was particularly silent, Lin Aotian stood in front of the "Dragon Royal Hall", watching his reflection in the moonlight being stretched by the dragon jade pendant. The cell phone vibrated, Chen Mo sent a message: Southeast Asian consortium officially signed, Huading stock price soared 8%, Starlight Capital was exposed to equity pledge default. At the end of the message, there was a photo: Uncle Er's car was parked downstairs at Starlight Capital, and his bodyguards were carrying boxes of documents to the car -- evidence that he had transferred his assets overnight.
The night wind brought the sound of the siren of the Huangpu River in the distance, Lin Aotian touched the jade pendant on his chest and suddenly laughed softly. From the initial flash of the sword at the auction, to the harvesting of the Zhou Group's equity, to today's head-to-head confrontation at the ancestral hall, each step was like the growth of dragon scales, painful but necessary. The second uncle would not know that he had long ago asked Chen Mo to organize the truth of the butler's death into a file, along with the financial loopholes of Starlight Capital, and hand it over to the SEC's anonymous tip box.
"Young master, the car is ready." Chen Mo's voice interrupts the thoughts. Lin Ao Tian turned around, the gilt plaque of the Dragon Royal Hall shimmered under the moonlight, the dragon relief seemed as if it would rise up in the air at any time. He suddenly realized that he had never been chasing power, but was awakening the sleeping dragon in his bloodline -- the oriental dragon that had been guarded by his mother with her life, remembered in the genealogy of the old mansion, and was about to be reacquainted by the entire business circle.
As the Maybach drove into the night, a new email popped up on the in-car screen: a congratulatory message from the East China Sea Lin Clan Association, recognizing his status as the heir to the main lineage and attaching the authority to operate the three ports in Malacca. Lin Aotian looked at the neon rainbow flying outside the window, and finally revealed his first genuine smile tonight -- this is the real beginning, when the dragon scales are all unfurled, when the dragon's roar resonates through the clouds, those who used to despise him will finally understand that in this world of capital, only the dragon standing at the top of the food chain is qualified to make the rules. And he, Lin Aotian, is exactly this oriental dragon that is about to take off.
The cell phone vibrated again, it was a secret contact from the independent director of Zhou Group. The dim light of the screen reflected the cold aura underneath his eyes, Zhou Jianbang's plan of a board coup had already been clearly understood by the eyes he had planted in Hengyuan Mansion.
Fingertips in the car window condensation of water mist on the dragon shape, Lin Aotian suddenly remembered his mother's study of the "Nine Dragons" - each dragon's leap, accompanied by surging waves and broken clouds. At this moment, the long whistle of the cargo ship on the Huangpu River is just like the dragon's murmur before awakening, and the dragon embroidery on his sleeve is looming in the darkness with the bumps of the body.