Chapter 12: The First Subordinate with Maxed-out Loyalty

Lin Haoran merely smiled at his father’s lack of belief that he could win this competition, offering no further rebuttal.

Because there was no need.

After chatting with Lin Wan'an in the office for a long while, Lin Haoran prepared to leave.

"Hao'er, come home and stay the night. Your mother misses you," Lin Wan'an said suddenly.

"Alright, Daddy, I understand." Lin Haoran nodded with a smile, then left the office with a relaxed stride.

He had originally planned to stay near Central tonight; the Hong Kong Stock Exchange was located there, and staying nearby would make it easier for him to keep track of market trends.

However, since his father had brought it up, he gladly accepted the arrangement and decided to go home tonight to spend time with his family.

After leaving the Chairman’s office, Lin Haoran did not immediately depart the Wan'an Group headquarters, but instead took the elevator to the 6th floor.

Lin Haoran knew the layout of every department in the building like the back of his hand.

The Group’s Securities Business Department was located on the 6th floor.

As a publicly listed enterprise, Wan'an Group had established the Securities Business Department at the time of its IPO. It was responsible for managing the purchase, sale, holding, and settlement of the listed company's securities, as well as handling matters such as shareholder dividends and profit distribution after the issuance of shares.

Walking into the Securities Business Department office, the employees inside were all busy at work.

Lin Haoran went straight to the department head's office.

The head of the Securities Business Department was named Dai Bin, a man in his forties.

Seeing Lin Haoran walk in, Dai Bin set aside his work and said with a smile, "Young Master, what brings you here?"

At Wan'an Group, rank-and-file employees preferred to call Lin Haoran "Director Lin."

The executives, however, liked to call him "Young Master."

Lin Haoran sat down in a chair with practiced ease and said to Dai Bin, "Director Dai, I’ve come to see you today for a personal matter."

"Please go ahead, Young Master. If there is anything I can do for you, I am at your service," Dai Bin said, full of curiosity.

A personal matter?

Lin Wan'an had not disclosed the matter of selecting an heir; even the management of Wan'an Group was unaware of it.

Therefore, everyone in the entire Wan'an Group treated him quite well.

"Director Dai, I’d like to ask, is there any stock trader in our Securities Business Department currently facing family difficulties?" Lin Haoran inquired.

"Family difficulties? Now that you mention it, I do recall one colleague. His name is Su Zhixue. He’s been with our department for exactly five years and is a very decent young man. Unfortunately, his two-year-old son was diagnosed with a relatively rare disease that requires surgery costing as much as a hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars."

"After learning the news, I even organized a fundraiser among the department staff for him, but to be honest, those donations were just a drop in the bucket compared to the massive medical expenses; it was far from enough."

"The young man’s own monthly income is only a little over four thousand Hong Kong dollars, and his wife had to give up her job to care for their sick son full-time. You can imagine the economic pressure on the family."

"Even if they scrimp and save, they can't put much aside in a year. Raising over a hundred thousand is truly an uphill battle," Director Dai sighed, explaining the situation in detail.

A monthly salary of over four thousand Hong Kong dollars was indeed quite good in a place like Hong Kong. But considering he was the sole breadwinner, after daily expenses and the child's medical bills, saving even one or two thousand a month was no easy feat.

Facing surgical costs of over a hundred thousand Hong Kong dollars, it was undoubtedly an extremely heavy burden for a family like his.

As Lin Haoran listened to Director Dai describe the colleague's plight, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.

Was this not exactly the person he was looking for?

"How is Su Zhixue’s character and work performance?" Lin Haoran continued to ask.

"Su Zhixue’s character is impeccable. He has an excellent reputation among his colleagues, and he is always diligent and responsible at work. He used to be a cheerful and optimistic young man. It’s just that this sudden family tragedy has put him under so much pressure that he has gradually become quiet and much more reserved."

Director Dai’s words were filled with sympathy and emotion regarding Su Zhixue’s situation.

"How are his stock trading skills?"

"His trading skills are quite good; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to join our group. Especially after five years of work, his experience is already very rich. I was actually planning to promote him in a little while," Director Dai laughed.

"Please, Director Dai, call this Su Zhixue over. I’d like to have a word with him," Lin Haoran said directly.

"Alright, Young Master, please wait a moment." Without asking further questions, Director Dai agreed immediately.

Soon, Lin Haoran met the stock trader named Su Zhixue.

Su Zhixue was not yet thirty, but Lin Haoran felt he looked like a man in his thirties, with a hint of weariness on his face.

It seemed he had indeed been through a lot lately.

"Director Lin, did you want to see me for something?" Su Zhixue asked, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Lin Haoran didn't know him, but he knew Lin Haoran.

Because in the entire Wan'an Group, there was almost no one who didn't know Lin Haoran—he was the boss's youngest son.

"Come with me. I have something to discuss with you."

After saying this, Lin Haoran led Su Zhixue to an empty office.

Once inside, Su Zhixue appeared restless. To him, even though Lin Haoran was much younger than him, he was an important figure he could never hope to reach.

Seeing this, Lin Haoran said gently and softly, "Don't be nervous. Please sit down and relax."

"I heard that your son is in urgent need of surgery, costing about a hundred thousand, is that right?" Lin Haoran asked with concern.

"Yes, Director Lin," Su Zhixue replied, somewhat anxiously. "The attending physician said that to control the condition, surgery is mandatory, and the total cost is 180,000 Hong Kong dollars. The sooner the surgery is performed, the better it is for recovery. I am currently trying my best to raise the funds, hoping to get my son treated as soon as possible."

Although he was puzzled as to why Lin Haoran would suddenly bring this up, Su Zhixue tried to remain calm and answered truthfully.

"How much are you still short?"

"After trying every way to scrape money together, I'm still short over 120,000."

When mentioning this, Su Zhixue could not hide the frustration on his face.

Lin Haoran smiled and said to Su Zhixue with a sincere tone, "Regarding your son's surgery fees, I can lend them to you first. But the condition is that you must work for me privately. I will pay you a monthly salary of 5,000 Hong Kong dollars, with weekends off, and there will be room for advancement if you perform well."

"Once you have fully repaid the loan, you will be free and have no more burdens. As for the Group, you don't need to worry; I will communicate with my father to ensure your position here is reserved. Once you have repaid the debt, if you want to return to work here, you can come back at any time."

Lin Haoran’s words were like warm sunlight piercing through the clouds, illuminating the gloom in Su Zhixue’s heart.

He was so moved he could hardly contain himself. Tears of gratitude welled up in his eyes, and finally, unable to control himself, he knelt on the ground, his voice trembling as he said, "Director Lin, I cannot repay your great kindness. As long as you are willing to lend me the surgery fees and give me a chance to save my son, I am willing to work for you for the rest of my life. Even if it’s the hardest, most exhausting work, I will never back down!"

For a grown man to shed tears to save his son—this was not laughable; rather, it was worthy of respect.

From this, Lin Haoran believed that Su Zhixue’s character was excellent.

As Su Zhixue agreed to work for Lin Haoran, his loyalty progress bar appeared.

Su Zhixue: [Loyalty: 100/100]

(End of chapter)