C3 The Lin Family Crisis

Murong Feng stood there, hands clasped behind his back, his voice ringing like a tolling church bell.

"I count Mu Chen as a friend, a good one at that. I've brought this Dragon Scale Jade Ruyi as a gift for the Lin Family."

Laying down the exquisite gift, he turned and made his exit.

People in the crowd began to murmur, their astonishment palpable. "East China Sea... Could that be the Murong Feng? The patriarch of the top-tier Mu Rong family?"

"I swear, that's him. I saw him on TV once."

"Sweet mercy! Murong Feng came to our Lin Family gathering. What other family in Chuyang City could pull that off?"

Everyone was in a state of shock.

Then came the skeptics. "Come on now! Murong Feng, friends with Mu Chen? Since when does he buddy up with nobodies?"

Lin Loong, never one to hold his tongue, shouted, "Mu Chen, spill it! Where did you find this charlatan pretending to be Murong Feng? Do you know what sort of calamity you're inviting on our family by ticking off the Mu Rong clan?"

Lin Loong shook his head,

Disbelief was etched on his face.

"There's no way, not in a million years, that a washout like Mu Chen could hobnob with the East Sea's top clan."

The room went silent.

All eyes riveted on Mu Chen. Lin Yuyan was no exception.

Her wide eyes were tinged with surprise,

her heart pounding like a drum.

"Please let this be real," she prayed silently.

For the first time in three years, she found herself rooting for Mu Chen.

'If he can bring in Murong Feng, imagine what we could do. We would be on the fast track to becoming one of the big players,' she thought.

"Sure, you can fake being a person, but that Dragon Scale Jade Ruyi? That's legit," piped up one of the onlookers.

"Murong Feng flaunted that piece at the Fragrant River Auction last month. That thing's valued at 10 million dollars and is absolutely one of a kind,"

Mu Chen spoke up, his voice carrying a note of indifference.

Being the hall master of Dragon King's Palace has its perks. Half the world's wealthiest serve under him.

Murong Feng? He's just the guy who liaises with him here in Chuyang City.

Small fry in a big pond.

"Ha! That jade trinket ain't nothing but cheap glass!" Lin Loong huffed,

striding forward to smash the jade ruyi to the ground.

"Hold it right there!"

The Matriarch's voice boomed, punctuated by the stomp of her cane.

She took the jade ruyi from Lin Loong's grip and scrutinized it with an expert eye. Decades in the antique business had made her a connoisseur of such artifacts.

After a moment that felt like an eternity, she finally spoke.

"This jade ruyi is genuine."

She took a deep breath, still processing the revelation.

"Furthermore, I've met the head of the Murong family at a royal gala. The man who just left was no impostor."

"Well done, Yuyan!"

Turning to Lin Yuyan, the Matriarch beamed, a rarity for her stern demeanor.

In her mind, she'd concluded that Yuyan must have been the one to arrange the meeting with Murong Fen.

It was inconceivable that a never-do-well like Mu Chen could pull it off.

"Impossible! This can't be!" Lin Loong muttered through gritted teeth, refusing to accept the reality unraveling before him.

"Grandmother …"

Lin Yuyan stepped forward, wanting to set the record straight that Mu Chen had orchestrated the whole surprise.

But he stopped her with a simple, "No need to explain."

Mu Chen's smile was enigmatic.

He didn't care about what others thought; his actions today were solely to make his wife happy.

Lin Yuyan looked at him, puzzled. Somehow, he seemed different today, and she couldn't put her finger on it.

The sacrificial ceremony went on till evening.

As night descended, the family gathered in the Lin Family Villa.

"Today's ancestral ceremony was quite the success, particularly thanks to Lin Loong and Yuyan,"

"Let's not forget, though, that our family is at a critical crossroads. If we can't navigate this crisis, the Lin Family empire could crumble overnight." the Matriarch declared, seated at the head of the dining table.

Her expression was far from celebratory.

Her words hung heavy in the room, etching worry onto each face. Sighs echoed softly.

The Lin Family Group had sunk a fortune into the Century Garden project, nearly two-thirds of which was now complete.

However, it had failed to meet approval standards, putting close to 500 million dollars at risk of total loss.

"Now, who here can secure an investment or a loan to keep us afloat?" the Matriarch asked, scanning the faces around the table, each a blend of hope and desperation.

The Matriarch's eyes narrowed as she sighed.

"So, no one has any solutions?" She looked around the table to a chorus of averted eyes and rueful smiles.

Investment?

Who's going to pour money into what looks like a sinking ship?

And a loan?

Banks are hardly in the business of saving the oppressed.

"You all love to count the dividends, but when the going gets tough, everyone clams up? This won't do!"

Her voice had an edge sharp enough to cut glass.

"Grandmother, please, take it easy. Your health comes first. I'll figure something out,"

Lin Loong said.

Rising to his feet to diffuse the tension, his eyes scanned the room before settling on Lin Yuyan.

"Speaking of solutions, how about our very own Lin Yuyan? She's so well-connected she even knows Murong Feng from the East China Sea's Mu Rong family. Maybe she has a way to solve our financial woes,"

He suggested,

his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"Exactly! If Yuyan knows someone as influential as Murong Feng, surely he can spare what would be pocket change for him."

"Yuyan, the family's been good to you; it's your turn to give back,"

Lin Loong declared as if tossing a lifebuoy to a drowning crowd.

A wave of eager nods and hopeful eyes immediately followed his statement.

"So, Yuyan, do you have a plan?"

The Matriarch's voice broke the charged silence, her eyes searching Yuyan's face for a hint of salvation.