Urban All-Round Master

"Lin, what should we do now? I failed the assessment, and many elders in the family are supporting Hai Wuyan. My father is seriously ill, and I’m scared that the entire Hai Family will be controlled by Hai Wuyan, leaving my sister and me without a place to sleep."

Upon seeing Lin Zifeng, Hai Zhilan was genuinely terrified. He had been mildly forewarned by Lin Zifeng earlier; now he was anxious every day, with no thoughts left for Beiming Huang. All he could think about now was his and his sister’s predicament.

As Lin Zifeng said earlier, with the assessment failure, the family was falling into the hands of his brother Hai Wuyan, and his status in the family was worsening each day. In the past, he hadn’t felt it, but now it was becoming increasingly apparent.

Lin Zifeng naturally understood his current mindset. Originally, Hai Zhilan lived carefree, but after being startled by Lin Zifeng’s words, his mind was filled with concerns, eventually causing a reflexive nervousness within the family.

"What do you plan to do next?" Lin Zifeng asked, looking up while lightly swirling the coffee cup in his hand.

"I, I want to seize power! For my sister and my future. I want to fight against Hai Wuyan!"

"And what makes you think you can compete with him?" Lin Zifeng asked again.

In his eyes, the only value Hai Zhilan had was being the young master of the Hai Family; Lin Zifeng truly saw nothing else of worth in him.

"Lin! You can’t abandon me at this moment! All my hopes rest on you, Lin. If you are unwilling to help me, I truly don’t know what to do." Hai Zhilan was somewhat emotional, staring intensely at Lin Zifeng.

"How do you intend to act? Are you planning to vie for the Family Head position against your brother?" Lin Zifeng asked.

"Yes! Lin, as long as you have a way to assist me, once I seize the position of Family Head, half of the family’s assets will be yours. How about that?"

"If you follow my method, I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle it."

"Can’t handle it? Impossible! Lin, as long as you tell me, I will do it—for my sister, for my future."

Let alone whether Hai Zhilan can manage it now, he was as desperate as a mad dog.

"Alright, I will tell you what to do, but every step must be executed perfectly. If at any point, you become soft-hearted or indecisive, you’ll die a very miserable death," Lin Zifeng said without exaggeration.

"I’ve checked into your brother Hai Wuyan’s background. To be honest, your brother is indeed much better than you."

Mentioning Hai Wuyan, even Lin Zifeng had to admit that Hai Wuyan was exceptionally talented, so talented he felt inferior, and had an extraordinarily strict approach to family management.

Yet Lin Zifeng was inherently not a skilled manager; his expertise lay in being a ruler.

"..."

Hai Zhilan was speechless, helplessly shaking his head, fully aware of his own limitations.

"Lin, just say it. Whatever I, Hai Zhilan, am determined to do, I will give 100% effort."

"Alright, now I’ll reveal my plan to you. Whether you can defeat your brother Hai Wuyan depends on your fate."

Lin Zifeng didn’t hesitate, motioned Hai Zhilan to lean in, and disclosed his entire plan to him.

"Lin, will this work?"

Hai Zhilan furrowed his brow slightly, feeling fearful of the plan Lin Zifeng had just described.

"Given your brother’s talents, if you don’t resort to this method, do you think there’s another way to manage?" Lin Zifeng sipped his coffee.

"Whether you decide or not is up to you. Anyway, I’ve stated my position," Lin Zifeng said and lost interest in staying with him.

"Lin!"

Hai Zhilan quickly stood up.

"Once you’ve decided, call me," Lin Zifeng smiled faintly, then turned and left the café.

...

Hai Zhilan sat on the chair, trembling hands, sweat streaming down his forehead, drinking cup after cup of coffee in an attempt to calm himself with caffeine...

For a long time...

The sweat on Hai Zhilan’s forehead became even heavier.

"Elder, I’m sorry, but this time I have to sacrifice you."

......

At night, Lin Zifeng visited the Nolan Family and specifically summoned Nolan He.

Upon learning the Heavenly Gate leader requested to meet him, Nolan He was somewhat hesitant; the Jiangzhou Kunling Mountain Liu Shen Divine Weapon had been seized, and Nolan He’s prime suspicion was that Lin Zifeng had obtained it.

With the Divine Weapon in hand, it was even more formidable.

Nolan He regretted deeply, realizing he should never have divulged the news of Jiangzhou Liu Shen Weapon’s appearance to him.

Meeting Lin Zifeng again that evening, Nolan He internally sensed trouble due to the other’s terrifying aura that could potentially kill him.

Unexpectedly, not only did Lin Zifeng do nothing to him, but merely requested him to handle a matter.

Not to mention one thing, even if it were a thousand, he must cry while completing them...

Before leaving, Lin Zifeng tossed an Elemental Power Seed to him, flooding Nolan He’s eyes with tears of excitement.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Hai Zhilan immediately summoned an elder, the only one in the Hai Family who was the kindest to Hai Zhilan and the most fond of him, even willing to marry his daughter to him, evidencing the elder’s affection.

"Zhilan, what’s wrong?" the elder asked with a worried frown.

"Elder, I..."

Hai Zhilan stared intently into the elder’s eyes but hesitated without knowing how to begin.

His eyes were bloodshot, teeth clenching with audible cracking sounds.

"What happened? Zhilan, is your brother bullying you again?"

"Elder, are you willing to help me?" Suddenly, Hai Zhilan tightly grasped the elder’s hands.

The elder, named Hai Yushui, was one of the family’s elders in power, and the only one filled with hope for Hai Zhilan.

But at present, what Hai Zhilan intended to do was closely tied to this elder.

"What’s the meaning of this?"

Yushui Elder was also taken aback, unclear about the implications of Hai Zhilan’s words.

Yet Hai Zhilan was full of grievance, abruptly kneeling on the ground, crying, "Yushui Elder, you must help me with this matter. If even you can’t help me, I truly haven’t found anyone who can."

To earn Hai Yushui’s pity, Hai Zhilan continually shed tears, leveraging Hai Yushui’s sympathy and trust as his unyielding tools to achieve his goals.

"Stand up to speak, say what you have to standing up."

"No! Yushui Elder, if you don’t help me this time, Zhilan will remain kneeling."

Hai Zhilan performed dramatically, making it seem genuine.

"Alright, alright, speak standing up. Your father is gravely ill now. I know the relationship between you and your brother is deeply worrying, but now is not the time!"

Hai Yushui seemed to understand what Hai Zhilan was driving at.