Volume One, Chapter 16: Living Off Another's Hard Work

Ling Dongyan was in a good mood today and actually willing to part with these treasures. To be honest, Mu Yuan had been eyeing the row of fine wines on the wall for quite some time. Every time he mentioned wanting a drink and offered to pay for it, Ling Dongyan would always refuse outright. But today, the opportunity had come, and he wasn’t about to let it slip away.

He pointed at a bottle of White Horse Estate on the wall and instructed the waiter, "That one."

The waiter didn’t move.

“Brother Yuan, that’s Mr. Ling’s private collection. Without his permission, it can’t be opened. You can help yourself to the wines along the corridor though,” the waiter explained.

Today, the third brother said nothing, but the waiter still refused. Mu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What’s going on? Are you all turning against me? Didn’t the third brother just say I could take whatever I wanted?"

"Alright, alright, just that bottle on the wall. Keep the corridor wines for next time," the waiter relented.

Having obtained Ling Dongyan’s consent today, Mu Yuan didn’t care about the details. "You heard the third brother himself say I could help myself. So I’m opening it, and if there’s any trouble, just say I said so."

The waiter hesitated but had indeed overheard Ling Dongyan’s approval, so he didn’t argue further and proceeded to unlock the bottle.

He took the White Horse Estate to be aerated, then jogged over to bump lightly against Ling Dongyan’s arm with a mischievous grin. "Third brother, these wines were all bought from sister-in-law’s place, right?"

He wore a gossipy expression, only to be met with Mu Yuan’s sidelong glare. "Looks like you’ve been too idle lately."

"She doesn’t even know why I came back. When you talk around her, you have to watch your words," Ling Dongyan warned him.

Mu Yuan was well aware of Ling Dongyan’s caution. Over the years, Ling Dongyan had struggled immensely to return to Nie Xingyan’s side. The treasured photo in the safe was proof enough. During his studies abroad and the early days of his career, whenever he felt he couldn’t go on, just thinking of her gave him strength. Remembering her, seeking her, loving her—these thoughts were deeply etched in his mind.

“Got it, brother. You’re just scared of scaring her off since you haven’t won her yet. I understand,” Mu Yuan quickly changed the subject before Ling Dongyan could retaliate.

"Sister-in-law is really impressive. Property prices in this CBD area aren’t low, and she’s earned so much on her own at such a young age. Her wine business is thriving."

From nothing to something, and back again. Those eight simple words concealed hardships only those who had faced similar trials could understand.

The club was just two streets away from Nie Xingyan’s wine shop, a five-minute drive.

---

The wine was aerated and poured into glasses before being served. Ling Dongyan’s lips curved slightly as he took a sip, the soft, sweet flavor lingering on his tongue. "She’s always been capable."

Though Mu Yuan was a brother, he only spoke of Nie Xingyan when in an exceptionally good mood, always briefly and with restraint.

“Let’s get to the point.”

Mu Yuan’s cocky attitude returned as he laid out the documents once more on the marble table.

"Your father does have some skills. Arranging the engagement between Ling Sisi and Qin Che with such grand fanfare and hype—it’s all a show to drum up attention and then raise the price."

He clicked his tongue in admiration. "Did you know the 'Flaming Heart' has already been hyped to a nine-figure valuation?"

Ling Dongyan’s dark eyes narrowed, his tongue pressing against his lower lip. "Looks like he’s got a big gap to fill."

At this point, he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved or find it laughable. If his mother knew how valuable the Flaming Heart had become, would she regret marrying Ling Jianfu so recklessly and handing over the family heirloom for nothing?

Mu Yuan was noncommittal. "After the Qin-Ling engagement, many eyes turned to it. The stock price of Fan Hai has even hit the upper limit."

In business, what matters most is future potential.

In times of prosperity, antiques and jewels are gold in chaos. The value lies in their potential worth. Rare treasures with high collectible value can command exorbitant prices.

Ling Jianfu knew this well. To sell at a good price, he had to scheme carefully.

"Any other news?"

After all this, it was all surface-level information everyone already knew. Mu Yuan wouldn’t be so smug over something so trivial.

He cut to the chase.

He scratched the side of his nose. The wine had been aerated and was ready to drink, but since the third brother had taken the first sip, and their agreed rule was that if only two of them were present, neither was allowed to drink, he had to settle for tea.

"There’s one more thing."

Ling Dongyan said nothing, tilting his head slightly to signal him to continue.

"The largest processing factory of Jianfu Jewelry has been unsettled lately. In Su City alone, over a dozen veteran craftsmen who had been working there for decades were laid off."

---

When a company struggles, cutting costs by letting go of long-serving, high-salary employees is standard procedure.

Usually, if compensation is fair, those workers might even be relieved.

But if the news leaks unintentionally, it’s bound to cause ill feelings.

For a company, a bad reputation is deadly.

Especially for Jianfu Jewelry, a brand heavily reliant on its reputation.

At this point, Mu Yuan voluntarily revealed his source clearly. "Jianfu tried to keep this under wraps. If I hadn’t helped one of those people before, I wouldn’t have found out."

He had to clarify things. He didn’t want the third brother suspecting he was spying on their father.

Jianfu Jewelry’s origins were far from clean.

As the saying goes, people tend to flaunt what they lack. Over the years, Jianfu’s PR team had fed the media stories portraying Ling Jianfu as a self-made, high-quality entrepreneur.

Their exaggerations were shameless.

Apart from the name, nothing was true.

Living off others’ efforts, Ling Jianfu had feasted on soft food while pretending to be strong.

Despite being the sole heir of the supposedly wealthy Ling family, Ling Dongyan seemed forgotten, receiving none of the benefits.

The only sound in the room was the turning of pages, Ling Dongyan scrutinizing every number in the reports.

"In recent years, international gold prices have hit record highs. According to Jianfu Jewelry’s business plan, they shouldn’t just be making a fortune—they shouldn’t have to worry about cash flow for at least ten years. So why do the financial reports look so bad lately? Why are all the profits just on paper?"

The financial statements showed losses year after year.

Worse, several high-traffic storefronts in Asia had already been closed, and the brand’s market share and influence had declined steadily, the opposite of the booming market trends.

Something was seriously wrong.

For a listed company to sink this low, bankruptcy wasn’t far off.

"Ha, Jianfu Jewelry’s been living off its old glory for years with no innovation."

The wine had been aerated, and just the aroma was refreshing. Mu Yuan sipped his hot tea to quench his thirst.

"The recent hot-selling yellow sapphire rings and that heirloom pure gold bracelet? Jianfu Jewelry didn’t make a dime from those. And your stepmother, always flaunting herself in the wealthy social circles, just wants to marry into nobility without caring about the business at all."