Chapter 616 - 356: The Handsome Man Ploy and the Self-Discipline Freak

Chapter 616: Chapter 356: The Handsome Man Ploy and the Self-Discipline Freak

It was an ordinary family dinner, warm and harmonious.

Having made his position clear, Lin Chu didn’t say much else.

Judging by Lu JiaSheng’s attitude during the meal, he seemed quite satisfied with how things had turned out.

Lin Chu had reasoned backward to this conclusion.

’If Old Lu had been completely happy with this matchmaking arrangement, there would have been no reason for me to be here.’

’Why would two families, on the verge of becoming in-laws, invite an outsider?’

’The fact that he invited me meant that Old Lu wasn’t entirely sold on the idea, or at least still had his reservations.’

’His real goal was to have me play the "bad guy" and say the things he couldn’t bring himself to say.’

It seemed his speculation had been spot on.

This was the way of the world, the subtle art of navigating human relationships.

Of course, most of the time, he no longer needed to go to such lengths to guess what others were thinking.

’There’s just no need.’

’My rules are the rules.’

Today was different, mainly because of Lu Ming—and because this was Lu Ming’s father.

During the rest of the meal, the matchmaking and business talk ceased. Instead, the two men, both over fifty, reminisced about all sorts of things from their younger days.

It was then that Lin Chu learned they had both been employees at a Xiangjiang shipping company in their youth.

Old Lu had been a crewman.

Wen Qiusheng was the ship’s mechanic.

They had worked together for a few years during the prime of their youth, had been through a lot together, and had what could be called a life-or-death bond.

Later, during Peng City’s massive development boom, Old Lu returned to the city. He rode the wave of reform, starting with slot machines, and gradually accumulated a small fortune.

Wen Qiusheng, on the other hand, had married well. He inherited his father-in-law’s electronics factory and had carved out a decent career for himself in the electronics industry.

They kept in touch during holidays, but not frequently.

Still, for a friendship to last like this was quite impressive.

Not many childhood friends could still sit down for a drink and a good chat in their fifties.

Witnessing this kind of friendship, Lu Ming glanced at Lin Chu several times, the thought growing stronger in his mind—’Brothers are like limbs, but women are like clothes.’

’You can only know what a person is truly like—and whether you’re comfortable with them—through personal experience, just as only the one drinking the water knows if it’s hot or cold.’

The meal was winding down.

Lin Chu received a file from Gao Haitao. It was, of course, the background check on Wen Qiusheng.

’Gathering intelligence first. It was a standard procedure.’

From their earlier conversation, Lin Chu had already started to piece things together, but he still needed to verify the details.

"Apologies, I need to look over a document. I have some work to take care of, please continue chatting."

"Ah Ming, may I borrow your study?"

Phone in hand, Lin Chu stood up and apologized with a smile.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Lu Ming led Lin Chu to the study and closed the door. Wu Hao stood guard outside like a ramrod-straight spear, oblivious to the others’ reactions.

This scene...

Lu Ming could only give a helpless smile.

"Brother Hao is President Lin’s personal bodyguard. He’s always like that, so please don’t mind him."

Wen Qiusheng and Lu JiaSheng exchanged a glance, both wearing smiles of understanding.

"Ah Ming, how did you and President Lin meet?"

Wen Qiusheng asked with a casual smile.

Lu Ming’s eyes shifted. He certainly couldn’t admit they’d met while carousing, so he embellished the story slightly. "Well... at a golf club, I believe," he said with a grin. "President Lin had just acquired it and thought I handled myself well. Since I’m a Peng City local, he figured I must have a good network, so he brought me on as a client manager."

"When was that? How old was he? He’d already acquired a golf club by then?"

Wen Sui asked with keen interest. Whatever his overseas businesses were, and even if they were prestigious, owning a golf club was a more tangible sign of status.

To run that kind of business, you needed it all—capital, connections, and background. You couldn’t be missing a single one.

"Not that old. Twenty-four? Around that age. Brother Chu is a legend. You can’t compare him to ordinary people."

Lu Ming waved his hand with a smile, not bothering to explain further.

Everyone was curious about that.

But by now, they had all just muddled through, taking one step after another to get where they were. Life was getting better by the day, so there was no point in getting bogged down in the details.

"Mmm."

"How impressive."

...

While the others chatted casually in the living room, Lin Chu was in the study, focused on the file.

This file was quite detailed.

For the information Old Gao obtained through his hacker channels, the higher a person’s status, the less detailed and certain the intel became. It was mostly logical speculation based on known facts and timelines.

But for people lower on the ladder, there were far more social engineering tactics he could employ.

Wen Qiusheng was from Min Nan and did business across the strait. He started with a contract factory and worked his way up to high-end manufacturing, even developing some design capabilities. However, his company wasn’t very large; it was stuck in the middle—not quite top-tier, but above the lower ranks.

According to a summary of information from various channels, he was currently looking to start a new venture. But at his level, it was difficult to find a backer in his hometown powerful enough to support him. At the same time, starting something new from scratch was no easy feat, and he faced all sorts of restrictions.

In short, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

His only other option was to give it all up, truly retire, and enjoy his golden years.

But at fifty-two, one could also say he was still in his prime, with ambitions yet to be fulfilled.

He was now looking everywhere for a new way forward.