Twenty-one people, a month's wages totalled over a hundred thousand. Lin Yun transferred the amount to each one.
Lin Yun did not hold back the salaries of Ding Wei and Little Mei either.
The money was already prepared -- it made no sense to treat those who left unjustly, and yet neglect those who stayed by his side, those who were genuinely loyal to him.
"Hmm?"
Halfway through, Lin Yun furrowed his brows suddenly.
At that moment, a payment of twenty thousand arrived in his account, transferred by Xia Qingqing.
Lin Yun lifted his head towards Xia Qingqing who was standing outside the crowd.
He saw Qingqing playfully sticking her tongue out at him.
This girl...
Lin Yun was deeply touched.
Over these two years, Xia Qingqing often came back to help, but never asked for any pay. According to her, as a sister helping her brother, it was only the right and proper thing to do. If he insisted on paying her, she would stop coming.
If she wanted to earn money, she could easily find better jobs.
This money must be what she earned from her various part-time jobs and tutoring gigs.
Lin Yun knew about Xia Qingqing's part-time work and tutoring.
But, since Qingqing was quite independent, never asking her family for living expenses and sometimes even sending money home, these twenty thousand must be the limit she could spare.
What more could a husband ask if his wife was like her?
At that moment, Lin Yun suddenly felt this way.
Undoubtedly, Xia Qingqing was a wonderful girl.
If he were to miss her, it would probably be a lifelong regret.
Imperceptibly, Lin Yun made a decision in his heart.
Without uttering a word, Lin Yun continued transferring salaries.
Soon enough, Lin Yun had cleared everyone's wages.
Besides Little Mei and Ding Wei, everyone else had left in a flurry.
In the blink of an eye, the previously bustling factory became desolate again.
"Big brother, the thing you said to that man just now..."
At this point, Xia Qingqing worriedly looked at Lin Yun, hesitatingly said.
They were now living in a society governed by law and she was afraid that something might happen to Lin Yun.
Hearing Xia Qingqing's words, both Little Mei and Ding Wei looked nervous. In their minds, Lin Yun was a decent man and they didn't want any harm to come to him.
Linden Yun had taken care of them since they came to Shen City. Once, when they were targeted by scam artists and attacked, Lin Yun happened to be there. He stepped in and disciplined those fraudsters.
Five total, all experienced fighters. They couldn't fight back at all. In response, Lin Yun single-handedly knocked down all five of them.
Because the fraudsters Lin Yun fought were scammers, they didn't dare to report him to the authorities.
If Lin Yun had hit that middle-aged man, he probably wouldn't spare Lin Yun and might even use his government connections to close down the factory or put Lin Yun in jail.
"I lied to him. He put me in this predicament, but now that I know, I can't let him be satisfied," Lin Yun looked at the three, smiling lightly.
In fact, if it hadn't been for acquiring the Cosmic Trading System, Wang Wenchang would've crushed all his five years of hard work and he might've resorted to extreme measures. But now, having acquired the Cosmic Trading System, he wasn't in a hurry to deal with Wang Wenchang. He would have plenty of opportunities to deal with him in the future.
The three were stunned. Could they really do that?
"Boss, then what about Little Mei and I…" Right after, Ding Wei seemed to have thought of something and asked anxiously.
Now that all the factory's equipment was gone, he wondered if Lin Yun still needed them.
Little Mei, on the other hand, looked at Lin Yun expectantly.
"If you're willing, continue working for me. Your salary will remain the same for now, but it will only increase, never decrease in the future. What do you think?" Lin Yun looked at the expectant Ding Wei and Little Mei and smiled.
"We are willing, we are willing." Both Ding Wei and Little Mei were visibly thrilled and both nodded their heads eagerly.
At this point, neither Ding Wei nor Little Mei had taken notice of what Lin Yun had said about their 'salary only increasing, never decreasing'.
After instructing Ding Wei and Little Mei to investigate the market, once they left, Lin Yun turned to face Xia Qingqing and said, "Qingqing, about the money earlier..."
"Big brother, I know you're strapped for cash right now. That money isn't doing anything in my account, so you should take it," Xia Qingqing playfully stuck her tongue out at him, speaking adorably.
"No need," Lin Yun shook his head.
Although he was in need of money, he didn't want to take Qingqing's money. It just didn't sit right with him.
"Could it be that big brother looks down on Qingqing's small contribution," Xia Qingqing dropped her head, speaking in disappointment.
"Of course not... Alright, I'll use these twenty thousand yuan first, Qingqing—thanks..." Having been pressed this far by Xia Qingqing, Lin Yun found it hard to refuse and could only smile ruefully.
"You really don't mind?" Xia Qingqing lifted her head, her eyes blinking.
"To be honest, the money I just spent was all I had left. Your money really came in handy for me." Since he had decided to accept it, Lin Yun did not hide anything and spoke earnestly.
"Really?" Hearing Lin Yun's words, Xia Qingqing suddenly looked happy.
However, she quickly remembered that the money Lin Yun had just spent was all he had left. This didn't seem like a good thing, yet she was so happy... it didn't feel right. She promptly stuck out her tongue, but her series of reactions made her seem very playful and cute.
...
While Lin Yun and Xia Qingqing were talking, Zhong Liang, who had just received his salary, caught up to Wang Wenchang and his entourage.
"For the next few days, you two will follow me..." Wang Wenchang was whispering to two of his robust henchmen.
"Boss, you must be careful of Lin Yun..." After hesitating a bit, Zhong Liang approached him with a look of concern.
"Oh?" Wang Wenchang glanced at Zhong Liang, his eyebrows furrowed.
He felt slightly displeased at Zhong Liang's uninvited approach. He did not want others to know that he was taking Lin Yun's threat seriously. It made him feel like he was losing face.
"Be careful of Lin Yun? With his small physique, I could take down three of him myself. If Lin Yun doesn't cause trouble for the boss, that's fine. If he dares, I will beat him until his mother won't recognize him." One of Wang Wenchang's brawny henchmen scoffed, flexing his thick muscles as he spoke.
"Boss, don't worry. With me around, neither Lin Yun nor Li Yun would be able to harm you," one of Wang Wenchang's strong henchmen quickly pledged his loyalty.
"Right. If Lin Yun doesn't come, that's fine. If he dares to come, we will definitely make him regret ever being born," said the other of Wang Wenchang's strong henchmen.
"Hmm." Wang Wenchang nodded slightly.
He had just asked his men to be on guard against Lin Yun for the next few days, but he didn't really care about Lin Yun's threat. Over the years, he had made an enemy of many people in the underworld. If he took every threat seriously, he would have been scared to death by now.
Experience had proven that many people only made empty threats.
However, he had an inexplicable feeling that Lin Yun differed from the people he had encountered before. When Lin Yun threatened him, he felt a strange unease. This was why he was slightly more cautious.
"Lin Yun is indeed very skilled. Back then... back then, we saw him single-handedly knock down five or six men..." Seeing Wang Wenchang and his men dismiss his words, Zhong Liang became worried.
In the end, he still didn't dare to say that Lin Yun had helped them when they first arrived in Shen City.
"One man knocked down five or six people?" Both Wang Wenchang and his burly henchmen looked surprised.
If that was true, Lin Yun was no ordinary martial artist.
"Did you say 'we?' Aside from you, did anyone else witness Lin Yun's skills?" Wang Wenchang picked up on the detail in Zhong Liang's words and immediately asked in a serious tone.
He had just recruited Zhong Liang and his group, who were all ordinary workers. He was afraid that Zhong Liang might be lying to him.
Earlier, he had seen that many workers felt guilty towards Lin Yun. What if Zhong Liang and Lin Yun were in cahoots to deceive him? He had noticed that Zhong Liang was quite shrewd during the few days. It wouldn't be surprising if Zhong Liang did such a thing.
"Little Tie, yes, Little Tie knows too! Little Tie, come here and tell the boss how good Lin Yun's martial arts skills are!" Seeing Wang Wenchang's suspicious gaze, Zhong Liang became even more anxious. He was here to pledge his loyalty. If the boss became suspicious of him, it would be like failing to steal the chicken and spilling the rice instead. He turned to look at his companions who had followed him. When he saw one of them, his eyes lit up, and he hastily called out.
"Huh?"
Hearing Zhong Liang's shout, a young man in his twenties amongst the crowd looked stunned.
"Boss Wang."
Little Tie walked over and called out softly.
It was clear that he was a very honest young man.
"Is Lin Yun's martial arts really good?" Wang Wenchang narrowed his eyes as he asked.
In just a few days, he had managed to recruit many of Lin Yun's workers. He had analyzed these workers and had noticed Little Tie, the honest young man. He trusted him more than Zhong Liang, who was rather scheming.
"Lin's martial arts skills?" Little Tie was silent. He had heard what Zhong Liang had said just now. He, Zhong Liang, and Ding Wei all hailed from the same hometown. The person Lin Yun helped before was them. Therefore, Little Tie had naturally seen Lin Yun's martial arts skills.
However, Wang Wenchang's question was clearly aimed at Lin Yun.
He had left Lin Yun's factory without notifying Lin Yun, which already made him feel very uncomfortable. The idea of telling Wang Wenchang more about Lin Yun was something he was rather unwilling to do.
"Little Tie, the boss is asking you a question. Why aren't you answering? Don't you want to work anymore?" Seeing that Little Tie remained silent, Zhong Liang's face darkened, and he quickly urged him. His tone veiled a subtle threat.
Hearing Zhong Liang's words, Little Tie's face changed. He gritted his teeth and said with a hint of anger, "Boss Lin's martial arts skills are indeed great. When we first arrived in Shen City..."
Little Tie was earnest, but he wasn't without temper. He was upset with Zhong Liang's attitude. Since Zhong Liang asked him to speak, he would tell the whole story and see if Zhong Liang had the nerve to listen.
"So, you're saying Lin Yun saved you all back then?" Listening to Little Tie's account, Wang Wenchang's face went through various expressions. He finally took a deep breath and said.
Little Tie's account was very detailed. It should be true.
It seemed that Lin Yun indeed was a skilled martial artist.
Wang Wenchang felt a twinge of regret. Had he known that Lin Yun was so skilled, he wouldn't have flaunted his power to provoke him after setting him up.
On the other hand, the faces of Wang Wenchang's two henchmen turned very grim. If what Little Tie said was true, Lin Yun was clearly a master. Their boss being targeted by such a master would mean tremendous pressure on them.