Liu Yutong originally had around 100 million in cash on hand, but after spending a portion of it on land auctions and settling the remaining payments for the land, her funds were nearly depleted.
Add to that the subsequent expenses for renting, renovations—especially the design and construction costs for the shopping center—and the money was practically gone.
Most critically, there were now tens of millions in supplier payments due for settlement.
At the time, to secure the land, they had overdrawn on supplier credits, far exceeding the safe financial threshold, and this financial gap still hadn’t been filled.
Fortunately, the suppliers had been accommodating, and no one had come pressing for payment yet.
On top of that, there were still outstanding bank loans.
Though Wanlong Group’s business operations appeared to be thriving, if anyone were to disrupt its cash flow, the entire organization could be plunged into irreversible ruin.
However, such a scenario would only occur under extreme circumstances. Currently, Wanlong Group’s revenue was growing rapidly, and under normal conditions, neither banks nor suppliers would risk offending such a major client. So, for now, there was no need to worry too much.
Of course, Liu Yutong wouldn’t let Li Xiaohui make reckless investments—she would oversee everything.
"Xiaohui, you need to trust yourself. For investments, you can freely conduct your research. Once you’ve completed the due diligence report, I’ll personally review it for you."
Li Xiaohui’s eyes lit up. "Really?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "Of course. Go ahead and take charge with confidence."
"Thank you, Sister Yutong."
Hearing this, Li Xiaohui finally felt at ease.
If she had been solely responsible for investments, she would have been terrified of messing up—after all, money was involved, and anything related to money was never a small matter.
But with Liu Yutong backing her, she had nothing to fear.
Liu Yutong’s vision and capabilities were undeniable. Otherwise, the members of Wanlong Group wouldn’t have placed such trust in her, nor would the organization have expanded to its current scale in such a short time.
After finalizing the head of the investment department, Liu Yutong pulled out several equity agreements from her bag.
Since they had decided on internal financing, she couldn’t fulfill her earlier promise to spin off the supermarket business and allocate shares to Yang Xin as an incentive.
Doing so would significantly devalue Wanlong Group’s overall valuation, which wouldn’t align with everyone’s interests.
Still, shares in Wanlong Group were just as valuable—no less than those in the supermarket division.
Today, Liu Yutong planned to distribute a portion of shares as incentives to the core management team.
Of course, since the company wasn’t planning to go public and there was no interference from external investors—coupled with the contractual agreements—no matter how many shares were distributed in the future, Liu Yutong’s control over the company would remain unaffected.
Even if she ended up with just 1% of the shares, she would still have the final say.
No one was particularly surprised when Liu Yutong presented the shares.
They all knew they would receive equity eventually—the young miss was never stingy in this regard.
Moreover, these shares didn’t require any upfront payment and would increase based on their contributions in the future.
Yun Cheng was the first to sign. "Thank you, Young Miss."
The others followed suit without hesitation, each expressing their gratitude.
"Thank you, Young Miss!"
"Thank you, Young Miss. I won’t hold back, then."
"......"
Once everyone had signed, they officially became shareholders of Wanlong Group, and their sense of belonging instantly soared.
With everything settled, Liu Yutong stood up with a smile. "Since we’ve moved into our new headquarters today, I’m treating everyone to dinner. Let’s go to the Wujiang branch of Yuyuefang. Yu Xin, didn’t you say they’ve added new dishes recently? Perfect timing to try them out and give some feedback."
Yu Xin replied, "Of course, Sister Yutong. I’ll make the arrangements right away."
She immediately called the branch manager to reserve a private room.
Upon receiving the call, the manager of the Wujiang branch grew tense—this was the first time the young miss would be dining at their location, and everything had to go flawlessly.
As Wanlong Group’s earliest restaurant brand, Yuyuefang couldn’t afford to slip up now.
"Alright, let’s head out," Liu Yutong said, leading the way.
The rest followed her toward the elevator.
Once inside, just as Yun Cheng was about to press the button for the first floor, Liu Yutong suddenly remembered something. "Let’s stop at the fourth floor first—we need to speak with the property management. It’s on the way."
Since Wanlong Group had leased the top ten floors, they needed to coordinate with the property management to restrict elevator access above the 40th floor, requiring keycard authorization to prevent unauthorized individuals from wandering up.
It wasn’t about fearing troublemakers—just the risk of someone getting lost up there.
Yun Cheng nodded and pressed the button for the fourth floor.
......
Outside the property management office.
Guo Yani pressed her back against the wall, glaring warily at the man before her. "W-what do you want? This is the property office—if you try anything, I’ll scream for help!"
The white-haired young man in front of her was none other than Zhao Junjie, the same Zhao Tianyi who had harassed her upstairs earlier.
Guo Yani had finally lost her patience and kicked him, seizing the chance to escape downstairs.
Her kick had landed in a particularly sensitive spot, leaving Zhao Junjie in agony for quite some time—even now, he still felt a burning pain.
Zhao Junjie sneered, his expression twisted with anger. "You little bitch, you nearly ruined my future! This debt has to be settled."
"If you behave and play nice with me, maybe I’ll go easy on you—might even throw a big contract your way."
Guo Yani clenched her teeth. "In your dreams! Let me go, or I’m calling the police!"
"Go ahead! Do you even know where the police station is?" Zhao Junjie scoffed.
Realizing this wouldn’t end easily, Guo Yani quickly pulled out her phone to dial for help.
Seeing this, Zhao Junjie lunged forward, snatched the phone from her hand, and smashed it to the ground.
Crack! The device shattered into pieces.
"Think you can call for help? Not even Jesus can save you today—I said it!"
He waved at the thugs behind him. "Hold her down! I’ll teach this little slut what happens to those who cross Zhao Junjie in Bright Pearl City!"
The thugs moved in, roughly grabbing Guo Yani’s arms.
At that critical moment, the elevator doors slid open with a ding, and a group of people stepped out.
At the forefront was a striking young woman in black—Liu Yutong.
Her eyes narrowed in fury at the scene. "Stop right there!"
Zhao Junjie and his men froze momentarily, but they didn’t back down. His lackeys kept a firm grip on Guo Yani while he swaggered up to Liu Yutong, eyeing her brazenly and completely ignoring the people behind her.
Among this group, only the cold-faced young man seemed slightly threatening. The rest—two girls, a chubby guy, and two bespectacled, scholarly-looking men—appeared no different from ordinary office workers, hardly a cause for concern.
“Well, well, another pretty girl? How about keeping me company for a bit?”
Liu Yutong’s eyes turned icy as she tilted her head slightly, giving Yun Cheng a silent signal.
In an instant, Yun Cheng moved.
Bam!
A lightning-fast kick sent Zhao Junjie flying before he could even register the motion. His body slammed into the wall with a heavy thud before sliding limply to the floor.
Before he could catch his breath, Yun Cheng had already closed the distance, gripping his throat with one hand and hoisting him into the air.
Zhao Junjie’s face flushed crimson, his legs kicking wildly in midair as choked, guttural gasps escaped his throat, his expression twisted in agony.
The gangsters froze in shock—none of them had seen how the young man had struck. Brutal and swift, he’d given them no time to react before their boss was subdued.
Just as the thugs were about to intervene, Zhao Tianyi, the one with gold-rimmed glasses, leisurely scanned the surroundings. Confirming there were no surveillance cameras, he calmly pulled out a pair of white gloves and began meticulously wiping away traces of their presence, his movements practiced and precise.
The scene left the already terrified gangsters utterly baffled.
Gangsters: “???”
What the hell was this? None of it made sense!
As he wiped down surfaces, Zhao Tianyi remarked casually, “Yun Cheng, next time, hold back a little. This guy’s already foaming at the mouth.”
Yun Cheng nodded and carelessly tossed Zhao Junjie’s half-conscious body to the ground. Then, pointing at the remaining thugs still restraining Guo Yani, he asked, “What do we do with this trash?”
His implication was clear—these men had witnessed his actions and could testify against him.
Zhao Tianyi adjusted his glasses, flashing a smile that sent chills down their spines. “No worries. They’ll get at least three years behind bars. Their testimonies won’t hold up in court anyway.”
Gangsters: “???”
Three years?! What testimonies?! What the hell are they talking about?!
