BXBX NOVEL Chapter 444: The Answer
Chapter 444: The Answer
As Aunt Wang slowly recounted the events, Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi gradually unraveled some of the mysteries.
Back then, the old chairman, who was Lin Zhiguo's mistress, gave birth to Lin Kun. To protect herself from the oppression of Yunmiao, Lin Zhiguo's legitimate wife, the old chairman took her son Lin Kun and devoted her efforts to establishing Yu Lei International.
Of course, Lin Zhiguo's protection played a role, as he couldn't ignore a son like Lin Kun.
However, the old chairman did not tell Lin Zhiguo that Lin Kun had a defect—he had "congenital seminal vesicle agenesis," a condition that, while not affecting normal marital relations, meant he could never father children.
The old chairman was no fool. She knew that to ensure her son Lin Kun could live a peaceful, prosperous life, Yu Lei could not fall, and Lin Zhiguo must not know he had a "useless" son.
For wealthy families, the greatest fear is having no heirs.
Lin Zhiguo valued his son with his mistress, Lin Kun, even more because the Lin family's children were few. If he knew Lin Kun was a "chicken that couldn't lay eggs," his care for Lin Kun would significantly diminish.
It must be said that after experiencing Lin Zhiguo's selective betrayal in love and career, the old chairman's feelings for him had turned into more of a utilitarian approach to solidify Yu Lei International's development.
By keeping a cool distance from Lin Zhiguo, mixing cajoling with resentment, the old chairman ensured that he cherished their mother and son pair. This allowed her to establish Yu Lei International quickly and successfully without being eliminated by Yunmiao, who had just married Lin Zhiguo.
As time went on, Lin Kun grew up and gradually realized his difference from other men. He knew he wasn't a "real man," but the old chairman sternly told him to keep this secret.
In fact, even without his mother's insistence, Lin Kun would never admit his infertility publicly.
For a man like him, who indulged in pleasures, the inability to have children was an unbearably shameful fact he couldn't allow anyone to know.
Thus, it fit the old chairman's plans perfectly. When Lin Kun reached marriageable age, she brought Xue Zijing, an orphan from the Xue family in Yanjing who had stayed in China, to Zhonghai, making her the daughter-in-law of the Lin family.
At this point, Aunt Wang sighed softly, "At that time, I had only been in this household for a few years. Many things I only learned after the old chairman passed away. However, she never explained why she chose Miss's mother, Mrs. Xue, to marry Master Kun. I only know that Mrs. Xue seemed to be having a tough time in Yanjing, ostracized by many, and agreed to marry Master Kun only after receiving help from the old chairman. The two knew each other's situations before marrying and had no emotional foundation. The marriage was just a formality. Though Master Kun occasionally shared a room with Mrs. Xue, they barely spoke otherwise. Until one day, Mrs. Xue suddenly got pregnant."
For outsiders, the young lady of the Lin family being pregnant was a joyous event. Even though Lin Kun was a playboy, having an heir in the Lin family signaled to Yu Lei International's employees and external commentators that the company had a future successor.
However, those in the household knew exactly what it meant—Xue Zijing had an affair!
"Mrs. Xue was quite an unusual woman," Aunt Wang said, furrowing her brows and struggling to find the right words. "It seemed like she was indifferent to everything. Even when she was clearly pregnant with another man's child, she calmly went about her daily routine—reading, watering flowers, tasting tea, sitting on the balcony in the sun—as if everything was perfectly normal."
At that time, I remember the old lady was in a bad mood for a while, but I didn't know why. One day, the young mistress and the old lady talked in a room for a long, long time. After that, the old lady seemed not to mind that the young mistress was pregnant.
Afterwards, she even warned Master Kun several times in my presence not to harm the young mistress or the child, appearing to protect the young mistress and her unborn baby. I think that night, the young mistress must have talked about something very important with the old lady, though I still don't know what they said. But it must have been the reason the old lady didn't oppose the young mistress giving birth."
At this point, Aunt Wang looked fondly at the sorrowful Lin Ruoxi opposite her and sighed, "The child who was in the young mistress's belly back then has now become another young mistress. Miss, do you understand how much comfort and joy I feel whenever I see you?"
Lin Ruoxi remained silent, but there were signs of the icy facade on her face beginning to thaw.
"Later, the young mistress carried you to full term and gave birth," Aunt Wang continued. "I remember the old lady was very happy at that time. It was the happiest I had ever seen her. She held you in her arms without hesitation and said, 'Your name will be Ruoxi,' as if she had repeated that name countless times before. It was so familiar to her.
However, after that, Master Kun almost stopped coming home. He knew you were not his biological child, but the old lady had ordered him not to say or do anything, so he could only escape outside. I was heartbroken at the time. I knew the old lady was actually protecting Master Kun, but their mother-son relationship grew increasingly strained."
Yang Chen felt a mix of emotions as he listened. He seemed to finally understand why his deceased father-in-law, Lin Kun, had ended up the way he did.
Growing up knowing he was a "half-eunuch," born into a wealthy family surrounded by beautiful women, yet only able to engage in superficial acts, had suppressed Lin Kun's secrets and fears, driving him to the brink of insanity.
When his wife openly became pregnant with another man's child, and his own mother chose to protect that woman and her unborn baby without explanation, demanding Lin Kun's silence, his last shred of dignity was utterly crushed.
The final blow was the old lady's decision to hand Yu Lei International over to a young girl with no blood relation to him.
A series of lifelong setbacks turned Lin Kun into the broken man Yang Chen had met, capable of anything.
Lin Ruoxi, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up, "Aunt Wang, since Grandma did so much to ensure that man could live a worry-free life, why did she hand Yu Lei International to me? Didn't she realize how much he would hate me for it?"
Aunt Wang smiled wryly, "Miss, do you think Master Kun had the ability to manage Yu Lei International or even maintain the family business?"
Lin Ruoxi fell silent. It was indeed very difficult, not to mention that Lin Kun's personality had become twisted, and his abilities were far inferior to hers. Over the years, Lin Kun had spent most of his time indulging and avoiding responsibilities, lacking real talent and knowledge.
"Miss, the old lady's painstaking efforts became clear to me only gradually," Aunt Wang said with emotion. "When you were very young, she was already grooming you as her successor. She treated you as more than her biological granddaughter, hoping you would love your family and accept Master Kun as your father. She scoured the country and found Miss Mo Qianni, who was then a young girl from Sichuan. Seeing her potential, she nurtured her to become your right-hand person when you took over the company. These were all part of the old lady's plans. She even used Lin Zhiguo's connections to introduce you to the Cai family, establishing relationships that could protect you and Yu Lei."
"So, Aunt Wang, you're saying that everything Grandma did was to use me to protect her son?" Lin Ruoxi's voice was tinged with bitterness.
Aunt Wang shook her head, speaking earnestly, "Miss, blood relations can be faked, but can emotions be faked? Miss, you've lived with the old lady for over twenty years. Can't you tell if her affection for you was genuine or not?"
Lin Ruoxi's delicate body trembled. She raised her head and looked at the oil painting of the kind old woman on the wall. She murmured a few words but was lost in her thoughts.
At this moment, Guo Xuehua, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up. "I might know what Zijing said to the old chairman that night."
Both Aunt Wang and the others, including Yang Chen and the dazed Lin Ruoxi, looked over. Guo Xuehua's tone suggested she indeed knew something.
Guo Xuehua seemed to struggle internally but eventually sighed and shook her head. "I originally thought it wasn't suitable to bring up, but since Ruoxi is already my daughter-in-law, I feel it's a bit too much to keep it hidden."
She looked at Lin Ruoxi and sighed, "Ruoxi, I think the reason your grandmother was so determined to have you born and insisted on you taking the position of Yu Lei's president wasn't just to deceive General Lin Zhiguo into believing he had a granddaughter and thereby ensuring his support. There was another reason: your biological father had the capability to protect Yu Lei International, as well as you and Lin Kun."
As Guo Xuehua spoke, flashes of memories raced through Lin Ruoxi's mind. The images of that man, his other identity, came to a conclusion almost instantaneously.
Lin Ruoxi's face turned pale, her eyes showing signs of fear, confusion, and helplessness.
Seeing this, Guo Xuehua quickly asked, "Ruoxi, what's wrong?"
Yang Chen, who was sitting next to Lin Ruoxi, put an arm around her shoulders to offer support and comfort. He turned to Guo Xuehua and smiled wryly, "Mom, you're saying that Ruoxi's biological father is... Prime Minister Ning, aren't you?"
Guo Xuehua's expression was a mixture of astonishment and hesitation. She looked between Yang Chen and Lin Ruoxi, the truth evident without needing to be spoken.