Chapter Thirteen: Why Is Immense Wealth Like a Stunningly Beautiful Woman?
Although their daily exchanges were just playful teacher-student banter, Chen Yan truly had a headache over a certain girl. She was not only beautiful but also lively; her personality deeply captivated this reserved and passionate man from humble origins. The young woman was also a teacher at Wuzhou High School, a fact known by many students, which gave the bolder ones the occasional courage to tease their teachers.
Watching Zhuang Sijing beam with delight, Chen Yan sighed, “One year’s time—aim for a good school.” Zhuang Sijing blinked mischievously, sensing that Chen’s thoughts had drifted to some unknown distant place despite her playful teasing.
As the bus reached its stop, Zhuang Sijing suddenly turned back and said, “Teacher, keep it up!”
“Get lost!” he shot back.
After teasing Chen Yan on the bus, Zhuang Sijing felt quite cheerful. She hopped off, the bus doors creaking shut behind her. The evening breeze fluttered her school uniform, and beneath the streetlamp, the slender, graceful silhouette of the girl stretched out in the soft light...
...
“College student’s back!”
Lin Yaoming couldn’t help but smile warmly when he saw his son. In his youth, he had thrown himself into the world of business, and he often reminisced about that golden era—when everything seemed to bring in money. Now, with such a substantial family fortune, he was so busy that he was rarely seen.
Lately, every time he thought about Lin Cheng, a strange feeling of regret welled up: how had the boy grown up so quickly? Already a senior in high school, the thought made him feel somewhat ashamed.
“Dad~,” Lin Cheng mumbled groggily.
“Have some milk first. Later we’ll have hairy crabs,” Aunt Hu, the housekeeper, said, bringing over freshly warmed milk she had prepared just in time for Lin Cheng’s return from school.
Lin Cheng instinctively reached out to take it.
“Master, it’s still hot. Wait until it cools down,” Aunt Hu cautioned.
“Okay,” Lin Cheng replied, warmth spreading through his heart.
“Aunt Hu, save me two hairy crabs. Cook them tomorrow morning—I’ll take them with me,” he added.
Lin Yaoming glanced at his son and smiled at Aunt Hu—no need to ask, they were for He Yueyue.
...
Lin Yaoming asked the butler, “Is it almost ready?”
“Chairman, it’s ready to be served now.”
Father and son entered the dining room and sat across from each other. Lin Yaoming beamed at his only son, quite satisfied with him, though he wished the grades were a bit higher. But that wasn’t a big deal—studying abroad was an option too.
There was that He Yueyue… She was academically excellent and probably would attend university in China. Perhaps they could both study abroad together. Sigh... Although he didn’t particularly like the girl.
“Dad,” Lin Cheng put down his crab and asked, “I heard a saying: if you have a fortune of one hundred million, you might live a carefree life. But if it grows beyond one hundred and twenty million—or even two hundred million—then that money may no longer be truly yours. What do you think?”
Lin Yaoming was picking out crab roe, carefully placing it onto a small dish. He looked up slowly and said, “When money reaches a certain amount… let me put it this way.”
“Having an enormous sum is like having a mesmerizing woman.”
“For example, if you had a billion, but lacked the ability to protect her, others would covet her.”
“Then, that money—or woman—would become a disaster, arriving in ways beyond your control.”
“Take Lin Chong, for instance. His wife was beautiful and lived well, but was seen by the son of a high official. You know what happened next.”
“So, either you keep your beautiful woman hidden, or you have the strength to shield her. Otherwise, she’s not truly yours.”
Lin Cheng was speechless. His father’s words cut deep. In his past life, he had leaked information to Chen Zishi because of He Yueyue, landing himself in prison just like Lin Chong. Ultimately, it was about lacking the power to protect what was his.
For the first time, Lin Cheng realized that the older generation who built their success from nothing had truly been tempered like pure gold—far stronger than second-generation heirs like himself. Indeed, he had failed to guard the empire his father had built.
“Dad, I want to buy a novel.”
“Go ahead,” Lin Yaoming said, somewhat bemused by his son’s sudden shift in topic.
“It’s not finished yet, but I want to buy the copyright outright.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know, maybe a hundred thousand.”
“Hm… I don’t know much about novels. If it were me, wanting to spend big money, I’d make sure it can earn first. You decide your own allowance.”
Hearing what was unsaid, Lin Cheng knew his father was trying not to embarrass him.
Lin Yaoming smiled, thinking his son might be upset, and said, “Son, if you really want to make money, don’t rush. Wait until university.”
Lin Cheng didn’t want to argue and nodded, “Okay, we’ll talk then.”
...
After dinner, the father and son returned to their rooms.
Lin Cheng switched on his desk lamp. Suddenly remembering something, he bent down and pulled a diary from the drawer.
Looking at the naive, insecure yet proud words he had written, he wished he could hide away somewhere.
Turning to a blank page, he began to record the fragments of memory in his mind:
Before the 2008 Olympics, the stock market rose to 6,000 points, then fell steadily without turning back.
By the end of 2024, one Bitcoin was worth $100,000.
One year, the novelist Yu Zheng created “Story of Yanxi Palace.”
Steel prices rose from 2,000 to 6,000 per ton, then fluctuated between 3,000 and 4,000...
As he organized these memories, a thought grew within him:
This time, he would make sure his father saw, within his lifetime, that his son could build an empire on his own merit!
The clock ticked steadily.
Lin Cheng finished his chemistry homework, rubbed his sore fingers, got into bed, and turned off the light.
Outside, the night was gentle, silver light softly draping the earth like a dreamlike veil.
Lin Cheng murmured to himself, “I’m only seventeen this year.”
He sent a text to Zhuang Sijing before finally falling asleep peacefully...
...
As the sun pierced the twilight and clouds drifted gently across the sky, their shapes slowly changing, Lin Cheng’s little blue bike sped through the alleys of Wuzhou, savoring the sensation of the wind rushing past.
In the basket in front of his bike lay a glass lunchbox containing two hairy crabs.
It was Saturday—exam day.
High school exams were usually scheduled on weekends to free up classrooms for other grades...