CHAPTER 572: CHAPTER 572: BANKRUPTCY

"My family isn’t as transparent as you think," Mrs. Jiang sneered with sarcasm, "When we say we cease contact, it means there’s to be no further connection, business or personal. Mr. Lin, please leave; there’s nothing more to discuss here."

Mrs. Jiang turned and entered the house, showing no hesitation or dragging her feet.

Lin Zhenghao and Lin Jingshen might as well have been waiting outside for nothing.

They had no choice but to leave, dejectedly.

Lin Zhenghao had no idea if Mrs. Jiang had mentioned this matter to Jiang Wangchao.

In any case, the cooperation between the Jiang Family and Lu Youxi was still ongoing, unabated.

And their targeting of Lin’s had not stopped either.

No matter how Lin Zhenghao tried to reach Jiang Wangchao, offering compensation measures, they were all rejected by Jiang Wangchao.

Even the last resort, offering significant concessions to Jiang Wangchao, was dismissed without hesitation, as if he regarded money as dirt.

Jiang Wangchao himself had mused that, if not for Zhou Shuyan’s influence, he might have actually wavered at the terms Lin Zhenghao proposed.

Of course, he believed he would have ultimately rejected Lin Zhenghao.

But not with such brisk, clean efficiency, without even a hint of room for negotiation.

Because Zhou Shuyan was involved, Jiang Wangchao believed that the benefits from a partnership with Zhou Shuyan would surely be much greater.

No one could have imagined that Lin’s, which once had a resounding reputation in the real estate market and could be considered a major enterprise, would gradually decline without warning.

Its former glory was no longer, and its competitiveness in the market was steadily waning.

The joint siege by Youshu Real Estate and Jiangchen Construction became the final straw that broke Lin’s.

The Lin Family went bankrupt.

The news of Lin’s filing for bankruptcy caused an uproar in the industry.

The Lin Family had thought that by Lin Jingshen marrying Lu Youzhen, it would appease Zhou Shuyan.

But in reality, it had no effect.

They finally realized, from the very beginning when Lin Jingshen schemed against Lu Youxi, Zhou Shuyan had no intention of letting the Lin Family off the hook.

He was merely stringing them along.

Letting the Lin Family hold on to hope, always feeling they could escape their plight but never actually being able to.

Until now, perhaps Zhou Shuyan simply didn’t want to play the game anymore, having lost his patience and interest.

So, he dealt the Lin Family a definitive blow.

Now that the Lin Family was mired in such circumstances, it no longer mattered whom Lin Jingshen married.

Bringing in an ordinary person would just be a burden to them.

As for those prominent families within the circle, none were willing to marry into the Lin Family even before the bankruptcy.

With the Lin Family in trouble, there were even fewer willing to provide aid to the impoverished.

As for Lu Youzhen, the Lin Family was no longer in a rush for Lin Jingshen to divorce her.

When the Lin Family was doing well, Lu Youzhen came to share in the fortune.

And now that the Lin Family had gone bankrupt, they were supposed to let Lu Youzhen go?

As if there could be such a cheap deal.

But they couldn’t worry about Lu Youzhen now.

Because Wan Youhua, the wife of the eldest son, and Zheng Yulin, the wife of the second son, were both seeking divorce.

The Lin Family had gone bankrupt, and there was no longer any need for the Wan and Zheng Families to maintain a marriage alliance with the Lin Family.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be a win-win partnership; it would be precisely targeted poverty alleviation.

Wan Youhua and Zheng Yulin had already had enough of Lin Zhenghua and his wife.

They had long lost any affection for their husbands, Lin Jingcong and Lin Jingming, over the years.

And knowing full well the nature of Lin Jingcong and Lin Jingming, who were true chips off the old block of Lin Zhenghao and his wife, they were certainly not good people.

Before, both of them had been hesitant because of their natal family’s disapproval, and hadn’t made up their minds.

But now that the Lin Family had gone bankrupt, and their natal family was supporting them,

they resolutely filed for divorce.

The Lin Family, of course, was not willing.

An inevitable tug-of-war ensued.

Furthermore, divorcing simply because of the family’s bankruptcy was very disadvantageous for Wan Youhua and Zheng Yulin, even if they went through litigation.

Both still couldn’t let go of their son.

They intended to take their son with them even if it meant divorce.

They couldn’t let their son be corrupted by the toxic environment of the Lin Family.

Now was the time to act while the child was still young, being raised by them, and had not yet been led astray.

However, merely filing for divorce could probably be accomplished in court.

After all, their natal families were no pushovers.

But if they aimed to fight for custody, it would not be so easy.

Although the Lin Family was bankrupt, they were not without the means to contest.

Moreover, Lin Jingcong and Lin Jingming were not the ones at fault.

This point, however, posed a problem for Wan Youhua and Zheng Yulin.

The two had been at each other’s throats before.

But now that both were seeking divorce and leaving the Lin Family, they were no longer adversaries; instead, they joined forces.

They often met to discuss their divorce strategy from the Lin brothers.

They just didn’t have a plan yet.

One day, Wan Youhua went to the Zheng Mansion.

Neither Wan Youhua nor Zheng Yulin had divorced the Lin brothers yet, but they had already left the Lin household and returned to their parents’ home.

Zheng Yulin, fearing harassment from the Lin Family, moved back in with her parents.

The same was true for Wan Youhua.

That day, Wan Youhua went to the Zheng Mansion to discuss strategies with Zheng Yulin.

"I’ve thought about it, why don’t we hire a private detective to follow Lin Jingcong and Lin Jingming?" said Zheng Yulin.

She scoffed coldly and said, "Lin Jingming is certainly not faithful, he’s been fooling around a lot outside."

"Just that before, I turned a blind eye, too lazy to care. Plus, he’s been rather cautious and has never been caught red-handed," said Zheng Yulin. "But I believe that was only because I couldn’t be bothered before. If we hire a private detective to seriously track and investigate, we’re bound to catch him cheating."

"As long as he’s the one at fault, I don’t believe the court won’t grant me custody of my child," Zheng Yulin declared. "Anyway, I’m not afraid of the Lins investigating. Over the years at the Lin household, I may not have been entirely devoted, but at least I remained faithful in my marriage. They won’t find any faults with me."

Wan Youhua was surprised that Zheng Yulin now placed so much trust in her, sharing everything.

Even the details of Lin Jingming’s indiscretions were revealed to her.

In the past, when they fought fiercely, they would never let the other know about their embarrassing situations.

Especially something as shameful as a husband’s infidelity.

But now Zheng Yulin had actually told her everything.

It was clear that Zheng Yulin had no desire to fight anymore.

Right, they had both left the Lin Family; there was no need for them to fight anymore.

That’s why they were now sitting together to discuss strategies, wasn’t it?

Thus, Wan Youhua also opened up and told the truth to Zheng Yulin, "It’s a good idea. Lin Jingcong isn’t any better, he’s been messing around a lot outside too. Although he says it’s just for fun and has no stable partner, I’ve always suspected he actually has one or even multiple fixed partners."

"You didn’t mention it, but I hadn’t thought about hiring a private detective," Wan Youhua said.

"Then I’ll hire a private detective to thoroughly investigate him," Wan Youhua declared. "Lin Jingcong has never been honest. If we look into him, we might find some unexpected other benefits too."

Zheng Yulin nodded, "The situation is different now. The Lin Family is not what it was, lacking the strength to fight us. If it really drags on, it will still be advantageous for us."