Ling Mingrui had matters to attend to today, so he didn’t come home for dinner.
Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan stayed with Xie Enhua for a while after dinner, waiting for Ling Mingrui to return.
During the time waiting for Ling Mingrui, Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan talked about many things with Xie Enhua.
Luo Ziling curiously asked Xie Enhua about some past events, wanting to know if Xie Enhua ever had feelings for Luo Liansheng back in the day.
After hearing this from Chen Qiaoyu, Luo Ziling was filled with gossip and eager to find out the truth.
However, out of propriety, he was embarrassed to ask directly.
So, he could only broach the subject indirectly.
Of course, such indirect questioning couldn’t get him the answers he wanted, but the implications of Xie Enhua’s words made Luo Ziling a bit excited.
Luo Liansheng and Ling Mingrui knew each other when they were young, and initially, their relationship was good, but later misunderstandings created a rift.
However, as they got older, both let go of the past, and their relationship improved again.
In fact, back then, Ling Mingrui was willing to marry Ling Ruonan to Luo Xusheng, and Xie Enhua was also willing. However, Ling Jinhua had other ideas, and Ling Mingrui also considered the family’s actual interests, so his attitude was somewhat ambiguous on the matter.
After hearing this, Luo Ziling understood that, after so many years, the love and hatred of the older generation from their youth had essentially become a thing of the past.
People like Luo Liansheng and Xie Enhua, at their age, mostly worry about family ties and reality.
Romantic feelings between men and women hold little weight in their hearts now, or they’ve long since come to terms and become diluted.
Someone once said that after a certain age, love no longer happens.
This age differs for everyone and likely correlates with hormonal secretion.
When hormone secretion diminishes, so does interest in the opposite sex, and love fades along with the hormones.
Aside from hormonal changes, real life’s tempering and broader perspectives also contribute to the decline of feelings.
Young people often are willing to abandon everything for love, as long as they can be with their loved one; things like these happen often.
But once you reach a certain age, such things rarely occur.
It’s very rare for someone in their forties or fifties to abandon everything for love.
In their fifties or sixties, it’s almost unheard of.
Humans, after losing the ability to procreate, gradually lose interest and pursuit of the opposite sex—this is the expert’s perspective.
Of course, this view applies to most people.
Ling Ruonan, now past forty, should she encounter those past events again, definitely wouldn’t make the same choices; she’d respect reality and bow to it.
Luo Ziling, although not as enlightened, could understand and accept this.
Last night, after Ling Ruonan and Ling Zhengping had a conversation in the old house, their relationship seemed to show signs of easing, and it wasn’t just a superficial thaw, which made Xie Enhua quite happy. Ling Mingrui had gone to Ling Jinhua’s last night, and what he said after returning reassured her. Hence, she showed some interest today, and under Luo Ziling’s indirect questioning, revealed some things she shouldn’t have shared.
Most of what she spoke about revolved around Ling Ruonan’s childhood; although these things weren’t Luo Ziling’s main interest, he listened with keen interest to Xie Enhua’s stories.
As the three chatted with great interest, Ling Mingrui returned.
Seeing Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan there, Ling Mingrui wasn’t surprised.
Upon Ling Mingrui’s return, Xie Enhua tactfully stood up and left, saying she’d prepare some fruit for them.
Ling Ruonan narrated the day’s events to Ling Mingrui, also informing him that Luo Ziling had just exposed some dirt related to the Chen Family via Weibo.
"Are you treating today’s events as a call to arms against the Chen Family?" Ling Mingrui, after hearing this, showed no unusual reaction and looked calmly at Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan.
"We hadn’t thought of it that way," Luo Ziling shook his head, "My mom and I just felt we should do something to support Chen Yining’s retraction."
"Things aren’t that simple!" Ling Mingrui sighed gently, "But Chen Yining’s retraction is sure to cause a massive upheaval. Exposing some of the Chen Family’s scandals is the right move. For what happens next, we should be more observant and reactive, only taking decisive action at critical moments."
Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan both nodded, showing they understood Ling Mingrui’s point.
Subsequently, Ling Ruonan handed some dirt on the Chen Family to Ling Mingrui for review.
Ling Mingrui merely skimmed through it and didn’t ask Ling Ruonan for those materials.
His position and status had already reached a level where he didn’t need to rely on such materials to target anyone.
But he also informed Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan that at critical times, those materials could deliver a significant blow to the Chen Family.
As for the brothers Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping, since they’re already at odds, let them continue their infighting.
In targeting the Chen Family, Ling Mingrui’s advice was to make good use of Chen Yihe and Chen Yiping, letting them occasionally stab at the Chen Family, causing trouble for Chen Ruchang and Chen Yijing.
Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan naturally had no objections and said they would follow Ling Mingrui’s arrangements.
"Everyone wants to do something against the Chen Family and gain some interests, but when it comes to actually fighting on the front lines, they are unwilling; everyone just wants to reap the benefits," Ling Mingrui reminded Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan to be strategic, not to take on everything themselves, as being too exposed would certainly not be a good thing.
"Find ways to force other families to step up and make them do something for us." After a long discussion, Ling Mingrui once again solemnly reminded them.
After discussing matters related to the Chen Family, Ling Mingrui also proactively talked about visiting Ling Jinhua the night before.
He briefly shared the communication with Ling Jinhua with Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan.
He subtly indicated a change in Ling Jinhua’s attitude towards Ling Zhengping and Ling Ruonan.
Ling Mingrui also encouraged Luo Ziling to visit Ling Jinhua whenever he had the chance, accompany the old man, have a chat, and help adjust his health to gain more of his favor.
Luo Ziling agreed.
After talking at length about various matters, Ling Mingrui shifted the topic back to the Chen Family issues.
He told Luo Ziling and Ling Ruonan that, since they’ve chosen to go on the offensive, they must ensure the Chen Family can’t fight back, ultimately forcing the family to admit defeat. He reminded Ling Ruonan that if she were to visit the Fang Family or have meals at the Yang Family Old House, she could also discuss the issue with Fang Xiang, Fang Zhonghua, and Yang Yuanshan, clearly conveying their intent for them to participate.
Ling Ruonan understood Ling Mingrui’s point and agreed readily.
Both Ling Ruonan and Luo Ziling knew that with Chen Yining’s retraction and Luo Ziling’s exposure of several pieces of dirt on the Chen Family through Weibo, the life-and-death battle with the Chen Family had officially begun.
The upcoming months would be extremely crucial.