"That’s just hearsay. You shouldn’t believe those kinds of rumors."
"How can you call it a rumor? President Huang is holding a meeting for us in a bit. It’s very likely he’ll announce it then. You have to believe me," He Jing said seriously.
The President Huang that He Jing mentioned was the general manager of Berkeley Mall, the man in charge.
Lin Jiang had never met him. He only knew his name was Huang Youwei and nothing else.
"Liu Jinting has been here for a while, and the mall was just acquired. How could the two be related?"
"For such a huge acquisition, the deal was probably negotiated a while ago. They just signed the contract recently. That’s all very normal."
Lin Jiang realized, ’Gossip really is in a woman’s nature.’
When it came to this sort of thing, even a cool, collected woman like He Jing became incredibly animated.
"Think about it. Normally, the Director of Operations should have been promoted to Deputy General Manager. But then Liu Jinting, who has zero experience, suddenly showed up. That’s why everyone is saying that after the mysterious boss bought Berkeley Mall, he immediately placed Liu Jinting here."
Although the logic was sound, there was no way he could let this crap be pinned on him.
"I’ll go have a look and find out."
Lin Jiang turned to Zheng Jiachun. "Jiachun, it’s pretty hot out. Make a glass of plum juice for Manager He to quench her thirst."
"Got it, Brother Jiang."
"You’re too kind, Boss Lin."
"For the beautiful woman I’m hiding away in here, a glass of plum juice is the least I can do."
With that, Lin Jiang left the noodle shop and went to Liu Jinting’s office.
He pushed open the door and walked straight in.
Seeing Lin Jiang walk in without knocking, the displeasure on Liu Jinting’s face deepened.
"Don’t you know how to knock? Have you no manners at all?"
Lin Jiang nonchalantly sat down in the chair opposite Liu Jinting, his expression calm.
"You’re lucky I came at all. Spit it out, what do you want?"
Liu Jinting frowned, completely unused to Lin Jiang’s attitude.
"I’d like to ask you, Boss Lin, what exactly were your intentions when you had one of the mall’s managers beaten up?"
"Had a mall manager beaten up? Who was beaten?" Lin Jiang asked, feigning ignorance.
"The mall’s manager, Liu Hongquan, was attacked last night. I’m guessing this has something to do with you, right?" Liu Jinting said, her face cold.
"You need evidence to make accusations like that. Without evidence, it’s slander. And our noodle shop has a legal department, you know."
Lin Jiang said with a chuckle:
"Why don’t you call him in? I’d like to see how badly he was beaten."
Liu Jinting’s expression was one of disgust. She hated Lin Jiang’s style of spouting nonsense, and her eyes were filled with utter contempt.
Liu Jinting had been exposed to circles of both the poor and the rich.
In wealthy circles, everyone was polite and mutually respectful.
The poor, upon seeing her, would all bow and scrape, not even daring to breathe too loudly.
But this man before her, clearly just a noodle shop owner, was looking at her with a scrutinizing gaze, as if he were the one in a position of power.
"I don’t have evidence, and I know you won’t admit it. I just want to tell you not to overestimate yourself, and don’t underestimate others. You’re just starting to build momentum; you should learn to go with the flow."
Lin Jiang smiled, crossing his legs as he looked at Liu Jinting.
"I actually think that advice is more fitting for you."
"You’re just a noodle shop owner. Are you even worthy of saying such things to me?"
"Liu Hongquan is an idiot. He definitely couldn’t have come up with a plan to transfer public assets into his own pocket. And for a deputy manager like him to act so cocky in front of me, it’s impossible he doesn’t have someone backing him..."
Lin Jiang looked at Liu Jinting with a mocking smirk. "So, you must be his older sister, secretly supporting him in doing this. Am I right?"
The color drained from Liu Jinting’s face, and her expression became unnatural.
In that moment, she felt her sense of superiority being torn away by the young man before her.
It was like a noble princess being harassed by a beggar.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
"We’ve already come this far. There’s no point in playing dumb anymore."
Liu Jinting didn’t speak, but her expression was awful. Her face was long and sour.
"You can afford a house worth tens of millions, so you obviously don’t care about this little bit of money. I’m guessing your real goal is to help Liu Hongquan get a stable source of income."
Lin Jiang gave her a thumbs-up and said:
"I have to say, you’re a good sister. You’ve really gone to great lengths for him."
Liu Jinting’s heart raced. She felt as if she’d been stripped naked and was being scrutinized.
"So what if he’s my brother? What’s the point of you telling me all this?"
Liu Jinting said with disdain:
"If Berkeley Mall is a pond, you’re nothing but a fish. Do you really think you can swim freely in here?"
Leaning back in her chair, Liu Jinting scrutinized Lin Jiang.
"You had Liu Hongquan beaten up. I will see this through to the end."
"Be my guest," Lin Jiang said, smiling as he stood up. "There’s no point in talking if we don’t see eye to eye. Let’s leave it at that. But we’ll be seeing each other again very soon. You should watch your step."
With that, Lin Jiang swaggered out of Liu Jinting’s office.
No sooner had he left than Liu Hongquan came in.
He was wearing his own clothes, along with a face mask and sunglasses that completely covered his face.
"Take them off. Let me see if it’s gotten any better."
Obediently, Liu Hongquan took off his sunglasses and mask.
His face was black and blue, but there were no serious external injuries. It was clear Yang Tao had held back.
Liu Jinting was the classic doting older sister who spoiled her brother rotten. Seeing that Liu Hongquan’s injuries hadn’t improved at all, the anger in her belly shot straight to the top of her head.
"Does it still hurt?"
"It’s fine. I can bear it," Liu Hongquan said, then asked urgently:
"Sis, what did he say? Did he back down?"
"He’s incredibly arrogant. But I’m not letting this go so easily. I’ll have your brother-in-law find the best lawyer in Zhonghai. You won’t have suffered this beating for nothing."
"Then let’s send him to jail! I want him to kneel and apologize to me!"
Liu Jinting nodded and stood up. "Alright, I have a meeting to attend. You go home and stay there. Don’t come here for the next few days."
"Oh right, Sis. I heard Berkeley Mall was bought by some mysterious tycoon?"
"Yes, it happened this morning. I’m going to a meeting with President Huang. The mall can’t afford any trouble during this period."
"With a new boss coming in, will you managers be affected?"
"With your brother-in-law’s connections, the only one who might be let go is Huang Youwei. It’s unlikely to affect me, so don’t worry."
"That’s true. You’re the second-in-command, after all."
"Alright, I’m off to my meeting."
Liu Jinting was the first to leave the office. At the end of the hallway, a short, chubby middle-aged man was smoking a cigarette.
And that man was none other than the mall’s general manager, Huang Youwei.
"President Huang, have you heard any new developments?"
Facing Huang Youwei, Liu Jinting put on a different face, her expression all smiles.
"I don’t know either. Just keep up the good work. This might be the last meeting I ever lead. It probably won’t affect you," Huang Youwei said.
Huang Youwei knew a little about Liu Jinting’s identity and background. Plus, she was the second-in-command, so the chances of her being forced out were slim.
"Don’t say that. We’re a team. If they replace you, I won’t be able to stay either."
"Let’s just leave it to fate," Huang Youwei said with a smile.
As they spoke, the two of them walked into the conference room.
The conference room wasn’t particularly large or as luxurious as one might imagine. A large, oval table could seat a dozen or so people, but it was hardly high-class.
Seeing the two of them enter, the managers from the mall’s various departments all sat ramrod straight, each of them on edge.
The mall had a new boss, which meant every management position was potentially on the chopping block. As a result, everyone was tense.
At a time like this, the calmest people were probably the security guards.
The boss would cultivate confidants among the leadership, but not among the security team.
"Everyone’s here. Let’s start the meeting," Huang Youwei said from his chair.
"Regarding the sale of the mall, I’m sure you’ve all heard. The next few days will be a critical period. The new leadership could come for an inspection at any moment, so we all need to be on our toes. We must adhere to the mall’s rules and regulations with the highest standards and strictest requirements..."
CREAK—
Just as Huang Youwei was speaking, the conference room door was pushed open.
The person who entered was none other than Lin Jiang!
Liu Jinting’s eyes went wide with fury.
"What are you doing here!"
"I heard you were having a meeting, so I came over."
Everyone in the conference room was completely bewildered.
Thanks to the popularity of Xiaojiang Noodle Shop, they had all eaten there a few times, more or less, and knew that Lin Jiang was the owner.
But this was a meeting for the mall’s management. What was he doing here? To offer them a sponsorship deal on noodles?
"Security! Get him out of here!"
The first person to lash out was Wang Chunmin, who pointed at Lin Jiang and shouted.
"Manager Wang, calm down. He might have something to say. It won’t hurt to hear him out first," He Jing advised.
"What could possibly be so important that it has to be said right now? Have you no sense of propriety?"
Liu Jinting said coldly, "Manager He, if you don’t want to be in this meeting, you can leave now."
"President Liu, I..."
"Look at you. She just said a word in my defense. Why are you giving her a hard time? You have no class at all."
Lin Jiang smiled and placed a file folder on the conference table.
"Let me introduce myself to everyone. I am the mysterious boss who acquired Berkeley Mall. The documents are on the table. You can all see for yourselves."

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