Yang Xin was someone Liu Yutong had heard of before.
In her past life, he had been featured in interviews—a veritable titan of business.
Back then, due to a company merger and subsequent "optimization" of personnel, he had been ruthlessly laid off by the new owner.
After all, the new boss naturally wanted his own people in key positions. Even though Yang Xin had been a high-ranking executive at the vice president level in the original company, he still couldn’t escape the axe.
Of course, Yang Xin had caught wind of the rumors circulating within the company, but he hadn’t taken them seriously.
Given his reputation as a young, capable, and outstanding executive, he assumed the company wouldn’t just discard him so easily.
Yet the blow came suddenly, without even giving him time to brace himself.
Later, Yang Xin spent about half a year in limbo before landing a job at a retail chain. There, relying on his exceptional skills, he climbed step by step to the position of general manager.
Eventually, he was headhunted by a major corporation to serve as CEO, with an annual salary in the tens of millions—truly the gold standard of corporate warriors.
In the world of professional executives, Yang Xin was practically at the pinnacle.
Liu Yutong never imagined she’d run into such a business prodigy in this small county town.
When luck comes knocking, there’s just no stopping it.
And as fate would have it, Yang Xin had just received his layoff notice.
The convergence of these two coincidences? That was destiny at work.
Of course, Yang Xin didn’t see it that way.
Right now, all he could think was that this woman in front of him was terrifying.
With just one sentence, she’d gotten him fired. Was there anything she couldn’t do?
It seemed he had no choice but to join her crew.
"Tianyi, draft an employment contract for Mr. Yang. Salary to be determined, position: vice president," Liu Yutong instructed Zhao Tianyi.
"Got it, Sister Tong!" Zhao Tianyi accepted the task and immediately turned to leave.
The restaurant didn’t have a printer or contract templates—he’d have to make a trip back to the law firm.
Liu Yutong turned her gaze back to Yang Xin, her eyes brimming with anticipation. "Once the contract’s ready, you can fill in your own salary. Write whatever you think you’re worth. We’re a legitimate company that respects its employees—no empty promises here."
Yang Xin: "..."
He opened his mouth but couldn’t find the words.
Fill in his own salary?
That sounded downright sketchy.
Shouldn’t a normal company offer something like "3,000 to 10,000" and then start him at the lowest end?
"Oh, Ma Da, have you settled on a company name yet?" Liu Yutong turned to Ma Da, who was busy gnawing on a piece of lamb.
Ma Da scratched his head, answering through a mouthful of food, "Still working on it. I’ll get it registered ASAP."
Yang Xin: "..."
You don’t even have a company yet, and you’re calling this "legitimate"?
"Yang Xin, do you have any other questions?" Liu Yutong asked him again.
Yang Xin hesitated before speaking up. "Um… can I ask—are you planning for me to handle supermarket operations?"
Liu Yutong nodded, her tone calm but carrying an unshakable confidence. "Exactly."
She did have that in mind.
While the supermarket industry wasn’t a goldmine, it was labor-intensive—perfect for employing the people under her wing.
Besides, if managed well, a supermarket could very well withstand the future onslaught of online shopping.
Hadn’t there been living proof of that in her past life?
"Then, may I ask—what’s the supermarket called? Could I take a look first?" Yang Xin inquired.
Liu Yutong: "The supermarket isn’t open yet. The name isn’t finalized either."
Yang Xin: "..."
"You know Xinglong Supermarket in this county, right?" Liu Yutong asked.
Yang Xin nodded. "I do."
After all, this was his hometown—he couldn’t not know the largest supermarket around.
"I want to renovate that place, rearrange the layout. Once you’re onboard, that’s where we’ll start," Liu Yutong said casually.
Yang Xin: "???"
Wait, what?
Are we talking about a hostile takeover here?
When he’d heard there was no registered company or actual supermarket, his hopes had already sunk halfway.
But now the real bombshell dropped.
The way she spoke, it was as if Xinglong Supermarket was already hers.
Other than seizing it by force, he couldn’t think of any other way to get control of that place.
Acquisition? Don’t make him laugh.
Yang Xin knew exactly who owned Xinglong Supermarket—Niu Ben, the undisputed kingpin of Wushui County.
Trying to take food out of a tyrant’s mouth? Unless it was by force, there was no other way.
But seeing Liu Yutong’s composed expression and the overwhelming presence of her entourage, he realized she was dead serious—she truly considered that supermarket hers for the taking.
Yang Xin suddenly missed his mom.
Holy hell, if they actually went through with this, as the person in charge of supermarket operations, would he even survive the fallout? Would Niu Ben let him off the hook?
Once he got home, he’d tell his wife to pack up and flee.
Wushui County was no longer safe.
What happened next only confirmed his suspicions.
Once it was clear the young mistress wasn’t joking, even Ma Da got fired up.
"Young Mistress, are we opening a new… branch of business?"
Liu Yutong nodded. "Yes. Yang Xin will be in charge of it."
Ma Da, now fully onboard, walked up to Yang Xin and gave him a thorough once-over, clicking his tongue in appraisal.
"Aside from looking a bit scrawny—not much of a fighter—and having a lame haircut, you’re not bad."
Yang Xin: "..."
Seriously?
"But don’t worry. Since the Young Mistress has named you as the branch head, if you ever run into trouble, just come to me. I’ll make sure everything’s handled nice and clean," Ma Da said with a grin, flashing a set of pearly whites.
Xinglong Supermarket—he’d shopped there before.
The place was huge, prime real estate. If they could take it over, it’d be a solid business.
If Yang Xin could make it work, giving him a leadership position was no big deal.
If he couldn’t…
Yang Xin wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and forced a smile. "Got it, Brother Ma."
Ma Da shot a glare at the underlings around them. "What are you waiting for? Show some respect!"
The lackeys immediately bowed in unison, shouting:
"Brother Yang!"
"Brother Yang!"
"..."
Yang Xin was startled by the chorus of greetings, unsure how to respond.
What’s more, he could clearly sense that while many of them acted deferential on the surface, their eyes betrayed a hint of resentment.
Still, out of loyalty to Liu Yutong, none dared to voice their discontent.
Just then, the restaurant door swung open again.
A particularly cocky gangster swaggered in with his crew, only to immediately drop to his knees with dramatic flair.
Crazy Dog Brother knelt beside Brother Erkun, grinding his teeth as he hissed, "You screwed me over. You’re done in Wushui County!"
Brother Erkun’s heart was heavy. Right now, staying in Wushui County was the least of his worries—surviving this restaurant was the real challenge.
So he also got tough, lowering his voice to snap back, "Cut the damn crap. Wasn’t it you who told me to contact those Yilian Society guys? If you don’t wanna die, pay up now!"
Crazy Dog Brother’s eyes were practically spitting fire. "You—"
"What the hell are you two whispering about?" Ma Da strode over and kicked Crazy Dog Brother. "Who the fuck said you could talk?"
Then he waved over a few lackeys. "Beat his ass!"
The moment the order was given, several underlings rushed forward and hauled Crazy Dog Brother up. Someone deftly grabbed an account book and placed it against his chest, ready to start the beating.
Just then, Zhao Tianyi arrived.
In his hands, he carried not only a contract but also something resembling a sparring chest protector, the kind used in boxing gyms.
"Brother Ma, I just saw something great. With a few tweaks, it’d be perfect for training—"
Before he could finish, he noticed Ma Da about to lay into some thug with nothing but a flimsy account book for padding.
"Hold up!" Zhao Tianyi shouted.
Ma Da turned to him, puzzled. "What’s up, Brother Zhao?"
"That ledger’s too thin. What if you mess him up for good?" Zhao Tianyi handed over the chest protector. "Use this. It’ll improve his durability—and more importantly, make it harder to trace the injuries."
Crazy Dog Brother: "???"
How damn considerate of you!
If I remember right, aren’t you supposed to be a fucking lawyer?
Look at you, going bad!
