In the back kitchen, Yang Tao and Yan Ming huddled together again. "His sister-in-law was one thing, but now some random woman is hitting on him. I’m so damn jealous."
"With a body like that, you couldn’t handle her anyway. One sit and she’d break your back," Yang Tao said.
"I’m not sure Brother Jiang’s frame could take it either."
"What, you want to go give him a push?"
"Wouldn’t be the worst idea."
"Isn’t that just plain perverted?"
After muttering to themselves, the two went back to work.
Just then, Liang Shuhuo pushed the door open and walked in.
"President Lin, business is booming. You’ve even got a line forming."
The two men, who were just about to get back to work, saw Liang Shuhuo enter and exchanged a look.
"It’s not even noon and that’s three of them. Brother Jiang is hogging all the good ones," Yan Ming said through gritted teeth.
"Tell me, besides being handsome and having a bit of money, what other good qualities does Brother Jiang have? Why do so many women throw themselves at him?" Yang Tao said.
"Besides those, what else is really important...?"
"Just shut the hell up. Hearing you say it makes me feel even worse."
Seeing Liang Shuhuo come in, Lin Jiang welcomed her behind the counter.
She wore a gray suit with a white blouse and flats. Her style was very professional, and sitting next to her, he could smell a faint, pleasant fragrance.
"You’re here already."
"Good timing is better than being early. I happened to have some business at Berkeley, and I got your message on the way, so I came here first."
"Here to do some shopping?"
"No, it’s for business," Liang Shuhuo said.
"I heard Berkeley is planning a major renovation. A lot of design firms in the city are in talks with the mall, and we can’t afford to be left behind."
Lin Jiang smiled. ’What a coincidence.’
Liang Shuhuo looked at Lin Jiang with a playful smile, deliberately lowering her voice.
"A man like you must be well-connected around here. Do you have any leads for something like this?"
"Whether I have them or not... that depends on you."
"Hm? How does it depend on me?"
"If you play your cards right, then naturally, I will. If you don’t, then naturally, I won’t."
"Sounds like you’re a bad boy, always trying to take advantage of a girl."
Liang Shuhuo twitched her delicate nose.
"Alright, let’s talk business. You asked me to come over so early. Is something up?"
Lin Jiang nodded. "I’ve opened two more shops and I’m planning to turn them into a chain. I’ll leave that side of things to you."
"Thank you, big brother, for sending business my way," Liang Shuhuo said, feigning shyness.
"Your business is getting bigger and bigger. Soon, this little sister will be working exclusively for you."
"That works. This ’little sister’ will be my exclusive, and only I get to use her."
Hm?
Liang Shuhuo suddenly realized what he meant and lightly punched Lin Jiang with her small fist. "Teasing me in broad daylight, you bad boy."
Lin Jiang chuckled and took out the keys to the two storefronts.
"You can take your time with this one. Treat it as a side job, and you can earn a little extra."
"Thank you, big brother, for the meal ticket."
"Mhm." Lin Jiang nodded and changed the subject.
"If you were to take on this job, what would the rough budget be?"
"Are you talking about the noodle shops or Berkeley?"
"Berkeley."
"The rumor I heard is that the exterior is being upgraded and the interior layout is also getting a major overhaul. A project that big would be in the tens of millions, at least. But I can’t say for sure what it’ll entail. I’d need to get the mall’s renovation plan to give a proper quote."
Checking her watch, Liang Shuhuo said, "I still have business to attend to. I’ll come find you later."
"Go on."
Liang Shuhuo left, and Lin Jiang didn’t plan on staying much longer either.
"Brother Jiang, scoot over. While it’s not busy, I’ll tidy up for you."
Li Yuanyuan arrived at the counter, rag in hand.
"This area is clean enough, isn’t it?"
"President He came by this morning. She told me that the district leaders might be coming for an inspection soon, and they might stop by our place. She told me to tidy things up so we don’t drop the ball."
Li Yuanyuan’s words reminded Lin Jiang of what Chen Jingxian had told him a few days ago.
Berkeley had a new owner, and the district leaders might come by for an inspection, but a specific time hadn’t been set.
Many days had passed in a flash. It was about time.
"Alright, you clean up then."
’I’m the owner of Berkeley and the owner of the noodle shop. That’s information I can’t hide from the leaders. They really might come to take a look.’
’We have to be careful about sanitation.’
"Tell Yang Tao and the others later, they need to pay attention to the kitchen’s cleanliness too. There can’t be any problems."
"I already told them. I even made them wear sleeve protectors, just in case their tattoos show."
"Good job. You’re acting more and more like a manager."
"Hehe."
Just then, a game notification suddenly appeared.
[Vanguard Officer Appears]
[Leader Name: Pan Yongbin, Lang Zhenglian]
[Kill Condition: Subdue both individuals within 30 minutes]
[Kill Reward: 1,000,000 cash]
’The instance monsters have appeared!’
Lin Jiang’s gaze shifted toward the shop’s entrance.
And right at that moment, two men walked in from outside.
One was in his twenties, wearing gray casual pants and a black jacket.
The outfit was conservative, but he had the air of a street punk, creating a strange, mismatched look.
The other was in his thirties, with a dark complexion and a stern expression. He looked around after entering, giving off an unkempt vibe.
"Welcome," said Zhou Xiaoli.
"I’m not here to eat. I’m looking for your boss," Pan Yongbin said.
"Our boss is at the counter."
The two men glanced at the counter and walked toward Lin Jiang.
"My name is Pan Yongbin. You should know who I am."
"I don’t," Lin Jiang answered honestly.
"My girlfriend’s dad is the owner of Night Charm KTV. Now do you know who I am?"
Lin Jiang sized up Pan Yongbin. Now that he’d said that much, their identities were clear.
’Lin Jiansheng has a daughter, and this guy is her boyfriend.’
’Also, Lin Jiansheng has a man working for him nicknamed Old Wolf. The man with Pan Yongbin is named Lang Zhenglian. It all lines up.’
’They must know I bought the Haojie Clubhouse and came here deliberately to cause trouble.’
’As for the people who were following He Siyao the other night, they’re probably connected to him, too.’
"So you’re marrying into her family?"
Pan Yongbin: "..."
"My dad is Pan Shengli from the Xuanli District. And you’re saying I’m marrying into a family?" Pan Yongbin said, his face dark.
"And? What does that have to do with you coming here?"
"I heard you bought the Haojie Clubhouse. Looks like you didn’t take what I said seriously. I’m here today to have a chat."
"Chat about what? You want to buy the clubhouse? Let’s talk. How much are you offering?"
"Eight million," Pan Yongbin blurted out.
"Do you hear yourself right now?"
"Don’t forget, my dad is Pan Shengli, and my future father-in-law is Lin Jiansheng!"
"Unless your dad is me, eight million is a definite no."
"Are you tired of living, you motherfucker?!"
Pan Yongbin pointed a finger at Lin Jiang. "Believe it or not, I’ll..."
AH—
Li Yuanyuan suddenly shrieked. The counter’s computer fell, the monitor hitting her leg, but she wasn’t injured.
The diners in the shop were all startled, but after seeing it was just a small accident, they didn’t pay it much mind.
"Even if the deal falls through, goodwill should remain. What’s the meaning of this? Why’d you push our computer?"
Li Yuanyuan: ???
’Didn’t Brother Jiang just pull on the wires and yank the computer down himself?’
Pan Yongbin was still reeling. "My sleeve just brushed against it. When did I push your computer?"
"You did touch it. I saw you."
"Cut the crap. So what if I did touch it?" Pan Yongbin looked around. "This isn’t the place to talk. If you’re a man, let’s take this outside."
"Fine. Let’s not disturb my business." Lin Jiang was more than happy to go outside with them.
"Brother Jiang, can you handle this alone? Maybe you should wait for Brother Yang and the others..." Li Yuanyuan said, worried.
Lin Jiang leaned close to Li Yuanyuan’s ear, whispered a few words, then followed Pan Yongbin out to the mall’s back entrance.
"Brother Lang, there shouldn’t be any security cameras here, right?"

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