"Mom is just arranging a way out for us!" Luo Ziling understood all this, which made Ling Ruonan even more relieved. She didn’t hide anything and laid out her thoughts. "If, unfortunately, the Northern Group slips out of our control, we can still hold on to this newly established company. The profits from this company alone will be enough for us to live comfortably."
"Mom, I get it now!" Luo Ziling nodded. "Is this also why you’re planning to set up a Southern Branch of the Northern Group in the south?"
Ling Ruonan nodded. "Northern Group Southern Branch is just what we’re calling it for now. Once it’s formally established, it will definitely use another name, and in terms of equity it will have no subordinate relationship to the Northern Group. The assets in the south will be owned by this new company. By then, the Northern Group will truly be in charge of northern affairs, while the business in the south will be under the jurisdiction of the newly established group."
"Mom, you really have great foresight!" Luo Ziling gave Ling Ruonan a thumbs up. "You’ve already planned a retreat for our whole family. Even if someone comes at us through the Northern Group and we ultimately have no choice but to abandon it, we can still barely manage to survive."
"Don’t make it sound so awful." Ling Ruonan glared at Luo Ziling. "What do you mean ’barely manage to survive’? You think we’ll end up in that state?"
"Mom, I’m just talking about the worst-case scenario." Luo Ziling chuckled.
Chatting like this, the mother and son soon arrived at the Ling Family Old Mansion.
After the car stopped in the courtyard, staff members came up to greet them.
When Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan arrived at the old mansion, it was already around five-thirty in the evening.
Before coming, Ling Ruonan had contacted Ling Jinhua, saying she would come over later to treat him.
Ling Jinhua also took the initiative to invite Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan to stay for dinner, and Ling Ruonan didn’t refuse.
When they walked up to the old mansion, Ling Jinhua had just risen from the yard and was heading back inside.
Hearing the car, he poked his head out from inside the house.
Seeing Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan come in, he immediately beckoned them into the room to talk.
"Grandpa, Ling’er hasn’t checked your body for several days. I brought him over today to give you a checkup!" After they sat down, Ling Ruonan took the initiative to bring it up. "Luckily, you don’t look bad. You should have been feeling okay these past few days, right?"
"I won’t drop dead just yet." Ling Jinhua waved his hand, signaling for Ling Ruonan to talk about what had happened in Jiangcheng.
After agreeing, Ling Ruonan immediately laid out the situation.
Ling Jinhua then asked about the progress of the investigation, and Ling Ruonan also reported it truthfully.
When he heard Ling Ruonan say that the current evidence vaguely pointed toward the Chen Family but it could also be someone else planting the blame, Ling Jinhua glanced at Luo Ziling.
Luo Ziling had long been mentally prepared to be suspected, so his expression didn’t change at all.
After Ling Ruonan finished, he put on a look of righteous indignation and said, "Great Grandfather, those people are way too bold. They even dared to make a move on my mom while she was on a business trip."
"Tell me, in that kind of setting, what good does it do them to go after your mom?" Ling Jinhua asked Luo Ziling calmly.
Luo Ziling answered coolly, "If something happened to my mom, it would be a huge blow to both the Ling Family and to several generations of our Luo Family. For me and my dad, it’d be especially devastating. As long as the people who did it covered their tracks well, there might not be any conclusive result from the investigation. If nobody knows exactly who ordered it, then things can be stirred up even further. Once the situation is chaotic, there will definitely be people who can profit from the chaos and fish in troubled waters. Using something like this to frame someone is also a very good strategy, especially now, when the situation in Yanjing is extremely complicated."
"Then who do you think made the move against your mom?" Ling Jinhua asked again.
"Anyone could have done it." Luo Ziling still answered unhurriedly. "Any player in this mess is a possible suspect."
Ling Jinhua nodded lightly and didn’t ask anything more.
"Grandpa," Ling Ruonan picked up the conversation. Her voice was soft as she asked, "I think, after something like this, our Ling Family needs to hit back, or else everyone will think the Ling Family is easy to bully."
Ling Jinhua nodded lightly. "Ask your dad about this. He’ll have his own ideas."
Ling Ruonan nodded and didn’t press further.
It was already dinnertime. After accompanying Ling Jinhua through dinner, Luo Ziling checked his body again and gave him the corresponding treatment.
When the treatment was over and drowsiness was setting in, Ling Jinhua said softly to Luo Ziling, "Do your best to help your mom, no matter what it is."
Ling Jinhua’s words left Luo Ziling feeling a bit baffled; he didn’t immediately understand what Ling Jinhua was getting at.
But he didn’t ask anything, just nodded to show he agreed.
As he left together with Ling Ruonan, Luo Ziling asked her what exactly Ling Jinhua had meant just now.
"Your Great Grandfather still suspects that this is our self-inflicted ruse," Ling Ruonan sighed softly before adding, "because the whole thing is very abnormal—by rights, it shouldn’t have happened."
"There are plenty of people who like to go against expectations. The Chen Family coming to us for help at a time like this—isn’t that the same kind of thing?"
Ling Ruonan nodded and didn’t say anything more.
It wasn’t until they were close to Ling Mingrui’s villa that she added, "Your Great Grandfather is not very satisfied with how you’ve been behaving."
"I know." Luo Ziling accepted Ling Ruonan’s assessment. "You could say he’s never really been satisfied with me. I haven’t acted the way he wants me to. But right now he can’t do without me either. Without me, it’s very likely his life can’t be extended very well—at least, not with much optimism. So even if he’s dissatisfied, he won’t show it directly."
"Don’t use that to threaten him." Ling Ruonan reminded him.
Luo Ziling nodded in agreement.
When they arrived at Ling Mingrui’s villa, Ling Mingrui was discussing something with Xie Enhua.
Seeing Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan come in, Xie Enhua quickly stood up and came over. Of course she was worried about her daughter; she held Ling Ruonan’s hand and quietly asked whether she was hurt, whether she’d been frightened, and so on.
While the two women whispered about these things on the side, Luo Ziling sat down next to Ling Mingrui.
"How do you see this matter?" Ling Mingrui asked Luo Ziling directly.
Luo Ziling repeated some of what he had just discussed with Ling Jinhua.
"So how are you planning to respond?" Ling Mingrui asked Luo Ziling. "Are you going to swallow the insult for now, or wait for the police to finish their investigation before deciding on a countermeasure?"
When Ling Mingrui put it that way, Luo Ziling was a bit taken aback.
He couldn’t quite figure out what Ling Mingrui meant.
Was his grandfather hinting that he should take revenge on their potential enemies?