{Chapter: 248 Lin Group's difficulties. Yan Ruyue's invitation!}
Hearing Lin Yuan call out to her again, Jiang Rou paused mid-step and turned her head gracefully.
Lin Yuan gave a small nod and said, "Doctor Jiang, please help me look after Qiu Wanxi for a while. I need to step out and take this call."
As he spoke, the phone in his pocket vibrated persistently—clearly someone was trying to reach him urgently.
Jiang Rou nodded without hesitation. "Okay. I'll keep an eye on her," she said softly and walked over to Qiu Wanxi's bedside without another word.
With a grateful look, Lin Yuan turned and exited the hospital room to answer his phone.
The caller ID displayed the name "Mom." It was Meng Yuelan.
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. What could she want so suddenly?
He answered in a casual tone, "Hello, Mom?"
But it wasn't her voice that replied. Instead, it was a steady and authoritative male voice—his father, Lin Jianjun.
"Xiao Yuan, your mom and I are both here," his father said. "We need to ask you something important."
Lin Yuan adjusted his tone. "Alright, go ahead. What's going on?"
Lin Jianjun didn't beat around the bush. "Have you been interfering with our company's new clothing brand project? Or possibly shared our design plans with someone?"
Lin Yuan blinked in surprise, caught off guard. "What? No, I haven't even heard anything about a clothing brand project. Why would I do that? What happened?"
There was a brief pause on the other end before Lin Jianjun began to explain. "Your mother and I have been planning to expand the Lin Group's operations by launching a mid- to high-end fashion brand. We hired professional designers and have already begun conceptual designs and promotional materials."
"But every single time we finalize a design and get ready to launch, another brand somehow beats us to the punch. They release nearly identical clothing lines with similar designs—sometimes just days after ours are finalized. The worst part? Their pricing is significantly lower than ours."
As Lin Jianjun spoke, Meng Yuelan's voice joined in with a tone of frustration. "It's been happening over and over. Our designers work hard, and we pay top yuan for creative originality, but these other companies imitate everything—logo styles, cuts, even the choice of materials. It's shameless."
Lin Yuan's expression turned sharp as he listened. "And because their products are similar but cheaper, it's hurting both your sales and the brand's image, right?"
"Exactly!" Meng Yuelan exclaimed. "Since we're aiming for the mid- to high-end market, we can't afford to slash prices just to compete. That would ruin the brand's positioning entirely. We're stuck. It's not just a business issue—it's an attack on our credibility."
"And because their designs only slightly differ from ours," Lin Jianjun added, "we can't file a lawsuit for plagiarism. The legal gray area makes it impossible."
The anger and frustration in his parents' voices were clear. Lin Yuan could understand why they were so anxious.
Meng Yuelan sighed and added, "We didn't suspect you at first, Xiao Yuan. We know you haven't been directly involved with this project. But we've investigated every angle. Everyone working on the team appears trustworthy. No one seems like they'd leak internal information. We even changed security protocols—but the copycat brands still manage to replicate our designs almost immediately."
Lin Yuan furrowed his brows. His eyes narrowed with suspicion.
As his mind began to churn, he suddenly remembered something from the original timeline—the source of this problem.
There had been a similar incident much later in the original plot. It was tied to the Chen family, a cunning and ambitious business clan that often used underhanded tactics to rise in their place in the corporate world.
But now, because of his interference with the original storyline, everything seemed to be accelerating. Events that were meant to happen later were showing up now.
So this is the butterfly effect at work, Lin Yuan thought silently, his expression darkening slightly.
He asked slowly, "Mom, Dad… Have you ever seriously considered the possibility that someone inside your company might still be leaking the designs?"
There was silence for a moment on the other end.
Then, Meng Yuelan's voice came back, a bit hesitant. "We considered it… but we didn't want to believe it. Everyone passed the background checks. We've worked with most of them for years. But... maybe we've been too trusting."
Lin Yuan clenched his fist slightly. "You may not have a mole. You may have a professional thief on the outside. One with resources and deep industry connections."
Meng Yuelan explained in a gentle but firm tone, "Well, not many people know about this project. Your father and I have placed a great deal of importance on keeping it confidential. Only a handful of trusted individuals from the core management team are aware of the details. Everyone involved has been thoroughly vetted and is absolutely credible in our eyes."
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, the gears in his mind turning. He suddenly asked, "Does this project involve staff from both the Finance and Personnel departments?"
His question took both parents by surprise.
"Yes, it does. How did you know?" Lin Jianjun asked, raising an eyebrow. His wife, Meng Yuelan, echoed his surprise.
Lin Yuan didn't answer directly. Instead, he followed up, "There should be about seven or eight people from those departments who have access to or knowledge of the project's key details, correct?"
"Yes, that's right." Meng Yuelan exchanged a glance with her husband before asking again, "Xiao Yuan, how could you possibly know this? You were never involved in this project."
Ignoring their astonishment, Lin Yuan calmly began to share detailed insights regarding the internal leaks and suspicious activity—information that he had gleaned from his memory of the original novel.
As Lin Yuan spoke, both Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan listened in growing disbelief. His knowledge was precise and unsettling. The kind of details he mentioned were things that only someone deep inside the operation would be able to uncover, and yet, they were certain their son had not been involved.
Seeing their growing confusion, Lin Yuan simply said, "Don't worry about it. I understand what's going on now. This situation shouldn't be too difficult to handle. I'll take care of it. I'm heading over to the company right away."
Without waiting for further questions, Lin Yuan ended the call.
On the other end of the line, Lin Jianjun and Meng Yuelan sat in silence for a moment, exchanging looks filled with suspicion and curiosity.
"That child… he always knows more than he lets on," Meng Yuelan murmured thoughtfully.
"Yes, but after what he did at the Mei family banquet, I think it's fair to say he's earned our trust," Lin Jianjun replied, nodding slowly.
Meanwhile, Lin Yuan tucked his phone away and began preparing to leave. He knew exactly what was going on behind the scenes. This so-called 'coincidence' was no accident.
The mastermind behind the chaos was none other than the Chen family.
They were testing the waters—probing the Lin family's defenses by sabotaging this new business venture. This was the Chen family's first calculated step to formally challenge and infiltrate the Lin family's corporate influence.
As Lin Yuan was about to leave, his phone vibrated again.
Another call.
He glanced at the screen and saw the caller ID: Yan Ruyue.
He answered, his voice calm. "Hello?"
A clear, melodic voice came through the line. "Hello? Lin Yuan?"
"Yes, I'm here," he replied.
"Don't forget, we're supposed to go watch a movie together, remember?" Yan Ruyue asked sweetly. "Are you free this morning?"
Lin Yuan chuckled softly. "Oh? So it's Miss Yan personally inviting me to the movies? But are you sure you want to go in the morning?"
"Huh? What's wrong with that?" Yan Ruyue sounded confused.
"You silly girl," Lin Yuan teased with a grin. "Movies are usually watched at night."
"Why?" she asked innocently.
Lin Yuan replied with a playful tone, "Because when you watch movies at night, the dorms are usually closed by the time you're done. And since it's already late, it's much more convenient to just go get a hotel room and spend the night."
On the other end of the call, Yan Ruyue's pretty face instantly flushed bright red. Her voice dropped shyly. "H-Hey! You… you hooligan! It's not like that! A friend gave me movie tickets and I just thought I'd ask if you were free. Don't be so smug about it!"
"I'm actually a bit busy right now," Lin Yuan said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, her tone visibly dimmed with disappointment. "Oh… then, maybe some other time…"
Lin Yuan, hearing the slight drop in her voice, smiled and added, "But I'll be free shortly. I need to stop by the Lin Group office to deal with something first. If you want, you can head there and wait for me. Once I'm done, we can go together."
Yan Ruyue blinked in surprise, her heart leaping a little. She quickly realized Lin Yuan had only been teasing her again. But despite that, a smile formed on her lips.
"Okay," she said softly, her voice filled with excitement. "I'll head to the Lin Group and wait for you."
*****
You can support me by joining my Patreon and get upto 60 chapters in advance.
patreon.com/Eden_Translation