"Pokémon" King, Sister Lin's Awakening The Second Round Begins

"Self-actualization?"

Lin Baizhi frowned, the confusion in her eyes deepening. She had never thought about it in this direction.

Lin Tianxiong nodded. "This is just my deduction. It might not be right. After all, if he could be seen through so easily, he wouldn't be him. I've deduced this from the things he's done over the years."

"At first, I thought he worked under the table because he was short of money. He was too young and had no other choice. But later I realized that wasn't the case!"

Lin Tianxiong's eyes were filled with memories and contemplation.

Beside him, Lin Baizhi was so anxious she almost wanted to shake him. Hurry up and say it, Dad! Stop reminiscing and just say it! Only when you tell me can I make my move on my brother sooner!

But afraid of interrupting her old father's train of thought, Lin Baizhi could only fret in silence. At the same time, she was also pondering what exactly the "self-actualization" her dad just mentioned really meant.

"If he really wanted to make money, he had many ways to get it quickly. Take his phone repair gig for example. As far as I know, whether now or in the past, this industry is highly lucrative."

"That kid has a great reputation at the electronics mall and is never short of business. Daughter, you've been there and know about him repairing phones, right?" Lin Tianxiong asked.

Lin Baizhi nodded. "Yes, my brother is amazing!"

At this, her tone inexplicably carried a hint of pride, even more excited than if she were talking about herself.

"Skilled labor with no shortage of business means no shortage of money. With that kid's abilities, he is completely financially independent. Daughter, did you know that the money for your surgery back then was entirely provided by him? How old was he then? A middle school student!"

Lin Tianxiong recalled the scene of his first meeting with Ye Cheng, as well as that somewhat deflated little toad wallet.

Moreover, according to his later investigations, Ye Cheng had already covered the costs of many such surgeries even before middle school. He wasn't just ordinarily rich!

Even a normal family couldn't withstand such frequent surgeries; they would have been dragged down long ago. Even if the orphanage reimbursed a portion, it was still an astronomical figure. Not to mention, the people in the orphanage...

Lin Tianxiong's eyes turned dark at the thought.

If it weren't for the fact that the orphanage had taken in his daughter, establishing a premise of a "great favor," Lin Tianxiong would have long since wiped out the people in charge there.

His daughter was lucky to have met Ye Cheng. The others in the orphanage weren't so fortunate; most of them would die young and then be "recycled and reused."

Of course, it wasn't some wicked physical trade. This was Dahai City, and no one dared to be so blatant.

The "recycling and reusing" here referred to squeezing out the last bit of surplus value, like pressing rapeseed oil, drop by drop. The tragic conditions and news would be published in newspapers and spread through the media, attracting donations from caring individuals and socialites.

The more abnormal children there were, the higher the returns. This was also why the orphanage always had so many "Pokémon."

Of course, "Pokémon" was Ye Cheng's self-deprecating term. He actually quite liked the Pokémon in the orphanage. After all, since they weren't smart, it was easier to fool them...

Lin Baizhi was also one of the "Pokémon." Her heart disease was the biggest selling point. Every onset of the illness and every surgery could serve as a perfect excuse to squeeze out her value.

Lin Tianxiong only learned about all this later.

Why was Lin Baizhi, despite being so outstanding, still crazily throwing herself at Ye Cheng without feeling the slightest bit that it was inappropriate?

He was more than worthy of her. She was unfortunate, but at the same time, incredibly lucky.

An unfortunate past, but lucky to have met Ye Cheng.

Both father and daughter were clear on this point: Ye Cheng had bestowed a massive favor upon their Lin family.

The Lin Corporation wouldn't be handed over to any outsider, but if that "outsider" was named Ye Cheng, it would be different. Both father and daughter were smart people; they had placed their bets very early on, and they had gone all in.

It was a pity that, despite also coming from the orphanage, Ye Cheng was the most "normal" yet also the most abnormal... the King of the Pokémon!

Life had repeatedly battered Ye Cheng, but the result was that Ye Cheng became resilient and chewy—the rapeseed oil of rapeseed oils, the king of kings among hams...

With so many golden limited-edition titles hanging over his head, Ye Cheng naturally wouldn't follow a normal script. He ate up all the bets placed by the father and daughter, and then... patted his butt and walked away.

Father and daughter: "..."

"He doesn't lack money, yet he still lives a bitter and hard life, always maintaining it at a very delicate level!" A sharp glint flashed in Lin Tianxiong's eyes.

He had reached the crucial point.

"Maintaining a level just enough to keep himself alive, but not so much as to live a privileged life. Merely surviving at a minimum standard. Only when encountering extreme emergencies and the balance is broken will he rapidly change."

"Once the change is complete, he makes himself restore the balance again. For a few hundred bucks in rent, that kid stubbornly fought with his landlord for two years, not letting the other party earn a single cent in shady electricity and water fees..."

Lin Tianxiong seemed to get more and more carried away as he spoke, completely failing to notice the numerous question marks popping up over his daughter's head, her eyes full of doubt and confusion.

She recognized all these words, so why couldn't she understand them when they were put together?

Did the "self-actualization" her dad mentioned at the beginning have anything to do with this?

Why couldn't she see it?

Where exactly was the connection?

"So... Dad, what does everything you just said have to do with my brother? Can you be a bit more direct? I don't care about your discoveries, I just want... Anyway, hurry up and tell me!" Lin Baizhi showed no mercy, giving zero face to her excited old father who was busy analyzing.

She hurriedly stopped at the end, having almost blurted out her inner thoughts. If her dad heard that, she would die of social embarrassment again... Sigh.

She didn't know if it was just her illusion, but why did it feel like her dad had also been assimilated by her brother?

Speaking in all these convoluted sets and circles... couldn't he just be a bit more direct?

Lin Tianxiong, who was still speaking enthusiastically, froze. Suffering a heavy blow, he turned into a pitiful old father, but he still "simplified" his discovery according to his daughter's request.

"His self-actualization is to make himself happy, to do what he thinks is right. In order to do these things he believes are right, he doesn't care about any outside evaluation or secular views."

Lin Tianxiong cut straight to the point.

Here came the crucial part!

Lin Baizhi's pupils shrank. She held her breath and sat up much straighter, listening intently to every single word for fear of missing something critical!

Yes, this is it, this is it! This is exactly what she wanted!!!

"Saving you, in his eyes, was the right thing to do, so he did it. I offered him five million, and he refused it. He believed it would break the balance of his current life and make him lose the opportunity and possibility for this self-actualization. So he didn't want it. No, it's not that he didn't want it; he took it to do another thing he believed was right!"

Lin Tianxiong paused. It all connected; everything finally made sense!

The true destination and purpose of this five million!

Lin Baizhi frowned. "Another thing? What other thing?"

Lin Tianxiong looked troubled. "Daughter, I can't tell you this. I promised him."

Lin Baizhi: "..."

We were having such a passionate conversation, and right when we reach the most crucial part, you just cut it off?

I! @#￥%...

It felt as if ten thousand ants were crawling over Lin Baizhi's heart. It was agonizing. For the first time, she felt like an "outsider." One was her brother, the other her father, yet the two of them were acting like best buddies behind her back.

This kind of thing... she absolutely refused to accept it!!!

Rustle.

Silently, Lin Baizhi stood up and walked barefoot across the cold floor. Tap, tap, tap. She headed straight for the kitchen.

"Daughter, what are you doing? The soup is right here." A question mark seemingly popped up over Lin Tianxiong's head. He kindly pointed to the earthen pot in front of him, indicating that there was soup inside and she didn't need to go to the kitchen.

What was his daughter doing?

Soon enough, Lin Tianxiong found out exactly what she was doing.

Lin Baizhi walked out of the kitchen holding a meat cleaver. With the gleaming blade in hand and a calm expression on her face, she walked up to her elderly father and sat down.

Clang!

It was a good cleaver. The blade clearly reflected the current appearance of the father and daughter, even showing the cold sweat on Lin Tianxiong's forehead and his slightly pale face.

"Dad, I don't like people who speak in riddles. If you insist on being this way, then today I'll just have to let you experience the feeling of losing a loved one." Lin Baizhi's tone was flat, as if she were talking about something entirely trivial.

Losing a loved one?

Were there any other relatives in this villa?

Lin Tianxiong's pupils shrank. "Daughter, don't do anything to hurt yourself!"

Lin Baizhi paused, seemingly thinking about something, and then nodded. "You're right, I can't hurt myself like that. I still have to marry my brother. It won't look good if I leave a scar on my body. Dad, if you don't tell me, my only option is to hack you to death."

After saying that, Lin Baizhi lifted the cleaver and rested it against the neck of her kind, elderly father.

Lin Tianxiong: "???"

Daughter, are you serious?

Staring at each other in stunned silence, Lin Tianxiong looked up. After a brief eye contact with his daughter, his heart went cold. It seemed... she wasn't joking?

Silently, the same agonizing, forcing-a-smile meme expression from Fire Punch appeared on Lin Tianxiong's face... It hurts, it hurts so much!

I'm sorry, Xiao Cheng. You know how it is, Uncle didn't have a choice...

After silently apologizing to Ye Cheng in his heart, Lin Tianxiong decisively chose to sell him out. Otherwise, his daughter's knife might actually come chopping down. Sigh...

Having mentally prepared himself, Lin Tianxiong very happily... oh wait, painfully sold out Ye Cheng.

Taking advantage of his daughter's moment of thought, Lin Tianxiong silently snatched the cleaver from her hand and tossed it aside, finally breathing a sigh of relief.

"Daughter, did you figure anything out?" Lin Tianxiong asked.

Lin Baizhi frowned but said nothing.

She had the answer, but the problem was... how was she supposed to work out the intermediate steps?

She couldn't just fill in an answer directly. Even if she wanted to... she couldn't fill in this answer. Right now, she wasn't even sure what her brother considered to be the right thing.

Thinking back on all their past experiences from childhood, Lin Baizhi seemed to catch a clue?

For the proletariat...

Lin Baizhi's pupils contracted. "I know, Dad! I know what my brother wants!"

Although it wasn't absolute, she now knew the general direction. She knew it; she finally knew it!

Lin Baizhi became excited, while Lin Tianxiong was still completely baffled. Huh?

That fast?

Wasn't he the one who found the problem and the answer? How did he become the one lagging behind in just a few minutes?

Was his daughter's comprehension really that high?

"Dad, I'm not going to be a CEO anymore!" Lin Baizhi said excitedly!

Lin Tianxiong: "???"

...

The night passed swiftly.

The next day.

Sunlight illuminated the earth—and no, we are not talking about Orochi's ultimate move here.

In the hospital.

Still sleeping like a dead pig, Ye Cheng was completely unaware of the impending danger slowly descending upon him.

Outside the hospital, a "traffic jam" had started early in the morning.

The Li family, the Dongfang family, the Tang family...