Courtyard Houses: From Bronze Compasses to Global Reach

Chapter 347 The Lan Family Launches an Attack

The first month of the lunar calendar passed in the blink of an eye. On the Lantern Festival, Tang Liuqian, Zheng Jiaming, and Li Wenbin's families came to Deep Water Bay to meet with Lin Yan. Lin Yan gave Tang Liuqian a document containing a detailed marketing plan for the brand's expansion into the United States, along with Alexander's contact information. The usual parting ritual was still Duoduo's tears.

Seeing this familiar scene, Lin Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He stepped forward and gently squeezed the little girl's chubby hand: "Little crybaby, Uncle will come to see you in a while, okay?"

In the end, Duoduo was coaxed and tricked into the car by her parents, and her crying gradually faded away as the car drove off.

Lin Yan returned to his bedroom, closed the door, and used his divine sense to summon James and Lin San.

"James, dispose of all the Japanese steelmaking equipment in the space warehouse. Erase all Japanese labels and replace them with English ones. Rewrite the instruction manuals to make them look like European or American products."

A crisp response came from the other end of his mind. Lin Yan then turned to the other side: "Lin San, contact our brothers in the Ministry of Foreign Trade. This batch of equipment must be purchased in batches. The country's foreign exchange reserves are tight right now; a steady, gradual approach is best. This equipment... should be enough to sustain us until the reform and opening up."

"Lin Yi, tomorrow at 3:45 AM, take the third squad back to the space. That batch of Japanese military equipment needs to be dealt with."

Lin Yi, who was reviewing documents in Central, immediately put down his pen upon hearing the sound.

"All Japanese markings must be completely removed and covered with the Lin family's official seal. All technical documents and data must be translated into English, and the technical team should prioritize screening CNC machine tool modules. Usable ones should be sent directly to the R&D center, and the rest... we'll wait until James's team has more time to handle them."

"OK!"

Ho Family Villa on Gu Bai Road, Jardine's Lookout, Hong Kong.

Lan Huaying rushed into the living room, only to find her younger sister, Lan Qiongying, alone. Without exchanging pleasantries, she whispered urgently, "Little sister, something's happened!"

Seeing that his expression was off, Lan Qiongying immediately dismissed the servants, led him to the study, and closed the door behind her: "Brother, what's wrong? You look flustered."

"I went to the Lisboa yesterday and heard some rumors..." Lan Huaying gasped for breath, her eyes burning with anger. "I bribed a waitress, and she spilled everything that Stanley Ho, Henry Fok, and the three Lin brothers said at the New Year's Day banquet—that brat from the Lin family actually sowed discord in front of everyone, demanding that Stanley Ho guarantee the dignity and privileges of Clementina Leitao's family! That ingrate Stanley Ho, just to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Lin family, actually dared to agree!"

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, slamming his fist on the desk: "Then what is our Lan family? All these years of running around for him, putting in so much effort and manpower, have we done for nothing?"

Lan Qiongying was struck dumb, her body went limp and she collapsed onto the sofa, her face instantly turning deathly pale. But she quickly forced herself to calm down, her nails digging deeply into her palms, her voice as cold as ice:

"Brother, go back to Father right away and go see Uncle Chen together. Does Stanley Ho intend to betray us after we've served our purpose? He'll have to ask the brothers in the gang if they'll agree!"

In the following days, the Lisboa Casino began to have a strange run of bad luck.

Several well-connected con artists moved through the VIP room with impunity, repeatedly succeeding and pocketing large sums of chips, while the usually sharp-eyed floor attendants and henchmen seemed to have collectively gone blind. Occasionally, a high roller would complain, only to be immediately harassed by a drunkard who appeared out of nowhere, creating a chaotic and unpleasant atmosphere that ended badly.

What bothered Stanley Ho even more was that rumors were quietly circulating among the employees and the lower echelons of the gang: "Mr. Ho is going to use the Lin family to clean house, and those who follow the Lan family will have no food to eat in the future..." With morale low and efficiency declining, the casino's operation seemed to have rusted.

Trouble followed one after another. The Macau government's fire and health departments suddenly became "uncompromising," making repeated inspections and always finding some minor issues, demanding rectification within a specified period. Several tabloids also began to subtly suggest that the Lisboa Hotel was facing financial difficulties and operational problems.

What truly terrified Stanley Ho was an encounter between his wife, Clementina Leitao, and Lucina Laam King-ying on their way home from church. Laam King-ying affectionately took his hand, but her tone was chilling: "Sister Leitao, things aren't very peaceful in Macau lately. I've heard some desperate criminals will do anything for money. When you and the children go out, you must bring plenty of bodyguards."

Upon learning of this, Stanley Ho smashed his most beloved Jingdezhen porcelain cup in his study. He clearly felt the silent threat from the Lan family: Without us, not only will your business be unstable, but you won't even be able to protect your family!

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, a large grain and oil supermarket owned by the Lin Group.

It was the evening rush hour, and the store was packed with people. Suddenly, more than twenty burly, thuggish-looking men rushed in. The leader pulled out several bags of rice that were clearly moldy and infested with insects, held them high, and shouted, "Look everyone! Lin's is selling moldy rice! They're heartless merchants! Don't buy their stuff!"

A stir ran through the crowd, and suspicious glances were cast their way over.

However, before their inflammatory words could even finish, several employees dressed in Lin's security uniforms moved. Their movements were faster than the average person could perceive, and they slipped into the crowd like ghosts. A series of teeth-grinding "snap" sounds and short screams rang out, and the more than twenty troublemakers seemed to have had their bones removed at the same time, collapsing to the ground, each of their arms hanging limply at an odd angle, instantly losing their ability to resist.

From the start of the disturbance to their complete subjugation, the entire process took less than ten seconds.

The customers were stunned, and the scene was deathly silent.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dressed in a suit, looking like a manager, slowly walked out. He had a gentle smile on his face, but his eyes were so deep that people dared not look him in the eye. His gaze swept over the groaning henchman on the ground, and a barely perceptible golden glint flashed deep in his pupils.

"Our Lin family has been established in Hong Kong for ten years," he said calmly, yet his voice carried a reassuring quality that resonated with everyone. "We rely on our reputation. No one has ever said that we sell moldy or worm-infested rice."

He crouched down, looked at a face contorted in pain, and asked softly, "Tell me, who sent you?"

The twenty-odd people on the ground instantly lost their focus, their eyes becoming vacant and lifeless, like puppets on strings. They opened their mouths, their voices ringing out in unison, crystal clear:

"It was Deputy Chief Chen of the 14K who sent us."

Whoosh—!

The scene erupted in chaos! The initial surprise on people's faces turned into shock and anger.

At the Deep Water Bay villa, Lin Yan listened to Lin Yi's report while gently swirling the crystal glass in his hand.

"Public identification, caught red-handed... very good." A playful smile curled at the corner of his mouth. "Call the police, hand over the person and the 'confession' to them. Tell our lawyer that I want 14K and Deputy Chief Chen to get themselves into inescapable trouble this time."

He paused, looked at Lin Yi, his eyes slightly cold: "Also, it seems I need to hurry up and prepare the New Year's gift I mentioned to Uncle Huo. This Deputy Chief Chen has very consciously placed himself in the most conspicuous position on the gift list."

Lin Yi nodded, a knowing glint in his eyes. "Young Master, Stanley Ho is in a real mess right now. Should we lend him a hand?"

"Lin Yi, what's being rushed isn't a good deal. Isn't this excellent material for observing human nature? Guess what Stanley Ho will choose this time? Will he recognize the reality that he can't leave the Lan family for the time being and choose to compromise, or will he believe in the strength of our Lin family and take the initiative to surrender?"

Lin Yi felt a little sorry for Mr. He, having such a master as his young master.