"Dad, I think..." Luofeng began, about to voice a rebuttal, but his father cut him off.

"I don’t care what you think; I care what I think! You’re the sole heir of our family. Your progress has been decent, sure, but the empire I’ve built is still yours for the taking."

Luo Lin had finally ascended to the status of a domineering CEO. The Jiamei Company, now boasting billion-yuan profits, imbued him with considerable confidence.

"I think you and Mom are both still quite young. Why don’t you... try a little harder? I believe I could be a good Sponsor, definitely the kind who wouldn’t fight with a younger brother over the inheritance!" Luofeng suggested tentatively.

"Damn it! When you were little, you were so naughty every day you nearly drove your mother to exhaustion! Do you want her to go through all that suffering again?" Luo Lin grumbled.

Feeling somewhat disgruntled, Luofeng said, "Well... our family’s financial situation has improved. Perhaps we could hire someone to look after the children?"

To inherit assets worth over a billion, yet why do I feel such agony? It was because Luofeng only wanted to go out and have fun; he had no interest whatsoever in managing any company.

"There’s no room for negotiation on this," Luo Lin stated firmly. "However, if you can persuade your mother, I’ll do my best to go along with it. Come on, I’ll take you to see the true strength of our Jiamei Construction Company!"

What else could I do? Luofeng thought. Is being a Crown Prince really supposed to be this easy?

Luofeng picked up the bag containing five hundred thousand yuan in cash and followed his father. Before they entered the construction site, his dad handed him a standard yellow safety helmet.

A few minutes later, Luo Lin led Luofeng to an open area where two tables, draped with red cloth, had already been set up.

Luo Lin walked over and called out, "Old Duan, tell everyone to come in batches to collect their money!"

Duan Zhengkuan nodded quickly. "Alright, Boss, I’ll notify them immediately!"

While Old Duan went to inform the workers, Luofeng, guided by his father, stacked the five hundred thousand yuan in cash on one of the tables, creating an impressive visual spectacle.

Everyone who saw it knew the boss was being exceptionally generous this time. After all, distributing cash like this was precisely to create such a visual impact.

Was five hundred thousand yuan a lot of money? Actually, to the current Luofeng, it wasn’t much at all. Isn’t it just a five followed by five zeros? Merely a six-figure sum. My personal account already has an eight-figure balance, doesn’t it? And the investment company’s account holds a nine-figure sum.

By the time Luofeng finished stacking the cash, dozens of construction workers had gathered, their eyes fixed on the money piled on the table.

Luo Lin clapped his hands to get their attention. "Brothers," he announced, "let me introduce someone. This is my son, Luofeng. Some of you have met him before, some haven’t. So, I’ll introduce him again properly now!"

Luofeng stood up cooperatively. "Hello, Uncles, I’m Luofeng!"

After his son’s introduction, Luo Lin continued, "Alright, everyone line up! Come and get your money one by one. Then, hurry up and get back to work for me! Today’s workload—you must get it done for me!"

The crowd erupted in laughter. Clearly, Luo Lin’s daily interactions with his workers were very relaxed and harmonious. Even though he often cursed, everyone felt it was perfectly fine.

The first man to come forward for his money was middle-aged, with graying hair, but he looked to be in excellent spirits.

Luo Lin began, "This is—" intending to introduce him to his son, but Luofeng interrupted, "I know! It’s Uncle Zheng!"

The middle-aged man chuckled. "Haha, I didn’t expect the young master of Jiamei Construction Company to still remember me?"

"Oh, please, what ’young master’?" Luofeng said with a smile. "Don’t call me that. I remember you took me fishing once on a construction site, didn’t you?" he added, reminiscing.

That must have been during the summer vacation after his seventh grade. Luofeng had loved going to his father’s construction sites to play, but only the ones out in the countryside. A barren work site held no appeal for him. However, if a site had a small stream, a forest, or a pond, Luofeng would definitely go. But every time, Luo Lin would scold him and forbid him from going near the water.

Luo Lin addressed the man, "Uncle Zheng, you’ve been with me for nearly twenty-two years. Your New Year’s bonus is 2,200 yuan!"

While Luo Lin was speaking, Luofeng had already printed out the bonus list, found Uncle Zheng’s name, and had him sign to acknowledge receipt. Luofeng quickly counted out 2,200 yuan, ran it through a money-counting machine, and said, "Uncle, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too!" The man smiled and nodded, then added, "And not just Happy New Year—Happy Birthday too, right?"

"How did you know?" Luofeng asked, scratching his head.

"The boss let it slip once. He mentioned that bonuses are always paid a day before New Year’s Day so he can spend the holiday at home with you! Many of us know that."

Of course, while most people celebrate their birthdays according to the lunar calendar, scientifically speaking, birthdays align more consistently with the solar calendar, occurring once every year. With the lunar calendar, one might celebrate a birthday in less than a year, or sometimes wait longer than a year. For instance, someone born on the 29th of the second lunar month might have to wait many years to celebrate their actual birth date. Nevertheless, due to tradition, many people still follow the lunar calendar for birthdays.

"Alright, Old Zheng, hurry along now!" Luo Lin called out with a playful grin. "If today’s work isn’t finished, you’d better watch out for your year-end bonus! Other people are waiting to get their money!"

The man chuckled and left.

The second person to receive money was also someone Luofeng recognized; he too had been with the construction company for many years. His New Year’s bonus was 1,500 yuan.

"And Old Huang, listen up!" Luo Lin bellowed. "Don’t you dare piss down from the tower crane on me again! Get yourself a potty!"

Facing Luo Lin’s reprimand, Old Huang sheepishly scratched his head. But what could he do? As a tower crane worker, the crane was incredibly high, and climbing down and up again took a long time. Keeping a potty up there, however, would be too smelly. So, the simplest solution had always been to just urinate downwards.

Of course, this group of workers, though holding grassroots positions, had been with the company for a long time and were considered veteran employees. They not only worked reliably but could also train the newlyweds. These were people Luofeng absolutely had to get to know.

Two hours passed quickly. Once all the bonuses had been distributed, only a little over ten thousand yuan remained of the initial five hundred thousand. Luofeng naturally pocketed the remainder without a second thought.

Truth be told, ever since acquiring the System, Luofeng hadn’t really used cash for any purchases. Frankly, spending cash felt much more ostentatious than using WeChat Pay; many nouveau riche preferred it that way.