As the meeting was about to conclude, Liu Yutong made the final decision: "I have only one requirement—we must finalize this acquisition by the end of the year, and keep the price under 60 million if possible."
"Yes, Miss Liu. I’ll go find Zhao Tianyi and have him arrange the final steps," Yang Xin said as he stood up.
Before acquiring the supermarket chain, they had to address the looming crisis at Mingcheng Supermarket, a subsidiary of Wanjia Group, and ensure the issue was brought to the attention of Wanjia’s management. If the problem escalated, Wanjia would have no choice but to sever ties with Mingcheng, even at a loss, to protect the group’s reputation.
It had to be said—the manager of Mingcheng’s regional branch was quite skilled at covering things up, managing to keep the higher-ups in the dark.
This highlighted the chronic issues plaguing large corporations: major problems at regional subsidiaries could go unnoticed for far too long.
However, before Yang Xin could leave the conference room, his phone suddenly rang.
The moment he answered, his expression changed.
"Miss Liu, we have a problem."
"Speak," Liu Yutong’s gaze darkened.
"I just received word that someone has stepped in to acquire Mingcheng Supermarket. It seems they’ve already signed a contract with Wanjia."
"Was our information leaked?"
"Impossible!"
"Miss Liu, I suspect someone uncovered the issues at Mingcheng and used them as leverage to force the acquisition. What I don’t understand is why they’d rush to buy a ticking time bomb. It doesn’t make sense."
Yang Xin wasn’t the only one puzzled—Liu Yutong couldn’t make sense of it either.
Under normal circumstances, no one would acquire a supermarket on the verge of collapse. The logical move would be to wait until after the crisis, when the price would be at its lowest.
Yet someone had acted ahead of time. That alone was suspicious.
She had a vague feeling that she might know the buyer—and that this move might have been deliberately made to send her a message. But for now, she couldn’t pinpoint who would do such a thing.
"Miss Liu, what should we do?" Yang Xin asked urgently.
"Put it on hold for now. I’ll have someone investigate and find out who’s behind this."
"Yes, Miss Liu."
After the meeting adjourned, Liu Yutong immediately called Hua Muying and tasked him with gathering intel. She had to admit—he was exceptionally skilled at digging up information, making him a valuable asset.
Though she was a reincarnator, that didn’t mean she knew everything. Moreover, this timeline had already diverged from her past life.
At the very least, in her previous life, Mingcheng Supermarket had never faced such a crisis.
So Hua Muying’s presence helped fill some of her blind spots.
Before she could even give him instructions, Hua Muying delivered unexpected news the moment the call connected.
"Who did you say? Jin Xiangming?"
"Jin Xiangming was arrested?"
"Understood."
After hanging up, Liu Yutong was about to contact Master Jin when his call came through first.
As soon as she answered, Master Jin’s anxious voice came through the receiver: "Miss Liu, I know I shouldn’t trouble you, but my son has been detained in the city after offending someone. He’s my only son—could you please help?"
"Of course, I’ll consider the 9 million debt cleared."
Liu Yutong paused briefly before responding, "Master Jin, you’re too kind. Xiangming is practically my nephew. I just received the news and was already preparing to intervene."
Hearing this, Master Jin exhaled in relief, the weight on his chest lifting. It seemed Miss Liu still valued their connection.
But then he caught himself and mentally cursed his impulsiveness.
Nine million—gone just like that!
Still, his reaction was understandable.
With his son in danger, panic was inevitable. And the fact that the captors had dared to call him directly meant they weren’t ordinary people—they clearly weren’t afraid of the police.
Naturally, Master Jin’s first instinct wasn’t to involve law enforcement. Old habits died hard—those in his world preferred handling things themselves whenever possible.
After ending the call, Liu Yutong instructed Hua Muying to send her the address.
Once she received the details, Hua Muying’s impression of her rose even higher.
Miss Liu and Master Jin had only a passing acquaintance, with little interaction between them. Helping him was a favor, not an obligation.
Yet she hadn’t hesitated for even a minute before deciding to step in.
What did that say about her? It showed she was a woman of loyalty and principle.
Perhaps… working under her wouldn’t be so bad?
But then his thoughts drifted back to the girl he still hadn’t found, and his resolve hardened again.
Until he found her, he would never pledge true allegiance to anyone.
Meanwhile, Master Jin hung up the phone, slightly reassured. With Miss Liu’s influence, resolving his son’s predicament shouldn’t be an issue.
But that nine million…
"Ah, forget it. I already gave her the car—what’s nine million more?" he consoled himself, though his heart still ached at the loss. He cursed his own quick tongue.
He’d given in too easily. Once his son was safe, he’d make sure to give the boy a good thrashing—otherwise, that nine million would’ve been wasted!
Just as he was wondering how long it would take to hear news of his son’s safety, the doorbell rang.
Opening the door, he found a black-clad young man holding out a contract.
"Miss Liu said just sign it. No need to read the contents."
Master Jin: "……"
Though he couldn’t make out the specifics, he did catch the bold text at the top: Security Employment Agreement.
The name alone gave him a rough idea of what it entailed.
After the young man left, Master Jin couldn’t help but marvel, "Miss Liu’s methods are truly unique."
Never in his life had he imagined that hiring underworld help would require signing a contract.
For a moment, he wondered if he’d grown too old—or if the world had changed too fast for him to keep up. Was this how things were done now?
At a nightclub, inside a private room.
Jin Xiangming clutched his shattered left hand, cold sweat beading on his forehead. The pain was so intense that veins bulged along his neck. Kneeling on the ground, pinned in place, he still glared fiercely at the group surrounding him.
"Ganging up on one guy—what kind of heroes are you? Do you even know who my aunt is?"
"Just wait till she gets here—you’ll regret this!"
The moment the words left his mouth, the rowdy gang burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! This kid’s hilarious! First it’s ‘my dad,’ now it’s ‘my aunt.’ We already let you call your dad—so where is he? Why hasn’t he shown up yet?"
"Want us to hand you the phone again so you can call your aunt too?"
"I… I don’t have her number…"
"No phone and still daring to threaten me?! Listen up, you laid hands on my girlfriend tonight. My demand is simple: pay up 500 grand and lose a hand. Otherwise, don’t think your aunt coming will save you—not even the gods themselves could help you then!"
