{Chapter: 251 Yan Ruyue's trust! Not an insider! A moth!}
But Lin Yuan paid no heed to Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan's attempts to intervene.
After leisurely taking another sip of his tea, he turned his calm and steady gaze toward Lu Junlan and spoke, his voice composed but carrying an unshakable firmness.
"Aunt Lu Junlan," Lin Yuan began, a faint but polite smile on his lips, "I still remember you from when I was a child. You held me in your arms more than once. You were kind to me, and so were the other uncles and aunts present here today. You all have dedicated yourselves tirelessly to the Lin Group. Your loyalty and effort are reflected in the lines on your faces and the weariness in your eyes. That much is true—undeniably so. I respect that. Everyone can see the blood, sweat, and sacrifice each of you has made for the company."
He paused slightly, letting his words settle in the room before continuing in a more serious tone.
"However, even if ninety-nine people are clean, it only takes one rotten apple to spoil the whole basket. I'm sorry to say it, but there is indeed a problem. Someone among you is an insider. And I refuse to let a single rat's filth poison the entire pot of soup, especially when the future of the Lin Group is at stake. I will find them—today."
The moment Lin Yuan's words fell, silence enveloped the conference room like a heavy fog.
The eight core officials present sat frozen, their expressions ranging from stunned disbelief to subtle nervousness. Though none of them had recently interacted with Lin Yuan, especially not since he matured into the man he was now, they found it difficult to believe he could possibly know anything—let alone something so specific and damning.
Yet, despite their doubts, his demeanor was unwavering. His tone was confident. His eyes were razor-sharp.
Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan remained quiet as well. They didn't know what to say. Their son had already made the declaration, and now all they could do was watch.
For a moment, no one dared speak.
Meng Yuelan subtly leaned toward her husband, a trace of concern in her expression, clearly intending to stop Lin Yuan from going any further. But Lin Jianjun gently held her arm, stopping her from rising. He leaned over and whispered softly into her ear, "Yuan'er reminds me of Father. Look at how calm and confident he is. He has a plan. Let's give him this chance to prove himself. If things go wrong, I'll step in and smooth things over. The Lin family and the Lin Group will be his one day anyway—let this be part of his training."
Meng Yuelan hesitated briefly but eventually gave a quiet nod, choosing to trust her husband's judgment—and more importantly, her son's conviction.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan remained composed. His expression didn't shift. He seemed unconcerned about whether anyone doubted him or not. To him, this was no performance. This was justice.
Without rushing, Lin Yuan rose from his seat and walked calmly in front of the eight officials.
He stopped in front of the first person on the left and looked at Lu Junlan directly.
"Aunt Lu," he said with a gentle nod, "may I ask which media outlet you chose last week to run the promotional campaign for our new fashion brand initiative?"
His question came naturally, as if he were simply catching up on business.
Then he moved to the next person.
"Uncle Ding," Lin Yuan said, "can you walk me through the budgeting decision for the renovation of the retail division's Shanghai office last month?"
And so it continued. Lin Yuan questioned each one of them, one by one. He asked not only about projects but also about their habits, recent decisions, and even mundane matters from their daily work life—things that seemed inconsequential at first glance.
The room remained tense but quiet.
Despite the growing unease, none of the eight officials broke character. They all maintained neutral expressions and answered his questions steadily, some with more confidence than others. To most, it seemed like Lin Yuan was simply grasping at straws, trying to create a sense of control he didn't actually possess.
Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan quietly observed from the side. They didn't speak a word, merely watching their son as he carried out his interrogation.
Of course, they all thought that Lin Yuan is just talking nonsense and he is just pretending that he knows something.
But Yan Ruyue stared at Lin Yuan and listened to Lin Yuan's words carefully.
She watched him intently. Her heart thumped slightly as she listened to his every word.
She didn't fully understand what Lin Yuan was doing. His questions seemed random, his approach far from aggressive. But something in his voice, his confidence, and the way he moved from person to person—it stirred something in her chest.
She didn't need evidence. She didn't need a reason. Deep inside her, she simply believed in him.
It was a trust that came from somewhere deeper than logic—a quiet, unwavering belief in the man she loved.
And so, Lin Yuan continued. Four questions had been asked. Four officials had answered.
Lin Yuan took his time, calmly posing a few targeted questions to each person before moving on to the next.
The strategy—slow, deliberate, and probing—gradually began to wear on their patience. Some of the key officials started to feel irritated by the repeated questioning. It was as though Lin Yuan was playing some kind of mind game.
Then, he approached the fifth person.
"Young Master Lin, my name is Ding Fan. Last week, I was responsible for overseeing—"
Ding Fan hadn't even finished speaking when Lin Yuan abruptly raised his foot.
With shocking swiftness and force, he kicked Ding Fan square in the chest, sending the rather plump man crashing to the ground with a dull, heavy thud.
The room froze.
No one had expected such sudden violence.
Gasps rippled through the gathering. People stared in disbelief, some rising slightly from their seats, eyes wide.
Why did Lin Yuan just kick him?
What could Ding Fan have possibly said—or not said—that warranted that?
Could it be… he was the mole?
The key officials glanced at one another, stunned and confused. Suspicion flickered through their eyes.
Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan, however, went straight to the point.
"Yuan'er… is Ding Fan the insider?" Lin Jianjun asked, his voice low but urgent. Meng Yuelan echoed his question with a worried frown.
As the room waited in tense silence, Ding Fan remained on the floor, not even bothering to pick himself up. Panic was written all over his face.
"No! Absolutely not! I'm not the insider!" Ding Fan shouted in desperation. "How could I possibly betray the Lin Group? You've got it wrong!"
All eyes shifted between Ding Fan and Lin Yuan, waiting anxiously for the young master's verdict.
But Lin Yuan calmly shook his head.
"No," he said. "Ding Fan is not the insider."
The words stunned everyone.
Even Ding Fan's mouth dropped open. His body, still sprawled awkwardly on the polished floor, bounced slightly as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard.
"I'm not...? Then why did you—?!"
He scrambled up slightly, bracing his hands on the floor, and shouted indignantly, "I'm not the insider! What are you doing, Young Master Lin?! This is outrageous!"
Several of the other key officials, visibly relieved to hear he wasn't the traitor, tried to step in to mediate. They felt perhaps Lin Yuan had taken things too far.
One of them began to speak up. "Young Master Lin, this may be—"
But Lin Yuan cut him off without even looking in his direction. He stepped forward and fixed his cold gaze on Ding Fan once more.
"No, Ding Fan isn't a traitor," Lin Yuan said with biting clarity. "But he is a moth."
The words hung in the air like a blade.
Before anyone could ask what he meant, Lin Yuan kicked Ding Fan to the ground again. Another heavy thud echoed in the room.
Everyone stared at Lin Yuan, mouths slightly agape.
The atmosphere had become so intense, so unpredictable, that no one dared to speak.
Ding Fan groaned, humiliated and breathless.
Then Lin Yuan's voice rang out again, colder this time, cutting through the silence like ice.
"Tell me, Ding Fan. Over the past few years, how much profit have you skimmed from the Lin Group? How many under-the-table deals have you brokered in the name of your position? Speak up now, and I may consider leniency."
"I've done no such thing!" Ding Fan shouted back, his voice quivering with indignation. "I've always been loyal! I've worked hard and stayed upright. How could I ever be greedy with the Lin Group's money?!"
Despite his protests, it was clear to everyone in the room that Ding Fan was beginning to panic.
Several of his long-time associates, confused and uneasy, looked to one another. Some still wanted to step forward and speak for him.
But Lin Yuan was not finished.
"Greedy, are you not?" he said sharply. "Ding Fan, do you really think I haven't done my homework?"
He took a step forward, towering above the man on the ground.
"Think back to the Qingyang District redevelopment project two years ago, and the Yunmei Luxury Commercial Zone just six months ago. From just those two projects, you personally raked in over a billion yuan. And you did it by deliberately sabotaging the Group's best interests for your own gain."
Ding Fan's eyes widened, and his face went pale.
Lin Yuan continued without mercy. "My parents have always been tolerant. They believe in rewarding loyalty and hard work. But that goodwill comes with one condition—that you don't betray the people who trust you."
"Yet what did you do?" Lin Yuan's tone was now full of disdain. "How many times have you lined your pockets by pushing the Lin Group under the bus? How many times have you sold us out just to enrich yourself?"
He leaned in slightly. "Don't think for a second that you covered your tracks well enough. If you refuse to come clean now, I'll have the entire investigation team look into every contract you've ever touched. Every file. Every payment. Let's see if your secrets can survive that."
Ding Fan opened his mouth, then closed it. He looked like a man who had just seen a ghost.
Because every word Lin Yuan said…
Was absolutely true.
He had been found out.
And not just vaguely or in passing—Lin Yuan knew the details.
The room was filled with stunned silence.
No one expected this from Lin Yuan, the young master who had long stayed out of the company's affairs. And yet, in a matter of minutes, he had exposed a rotten pillar hiding among them.
Lin Yuan didn't need to say another word.
Everyone had seen enough.
*****
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