Chapter 585: Extra—Ren Shan 3

Chapter 585 Extra—Ren Shan 3

"Second Brother Qian? What's going on? You've seemed restless these past few days."

Second Brother Qian looked up at Brother Bao. He was a good elder brother, one who valued brotherhood above all else. Few among their brothers hadn’t received favors from Brother Bao.

But he wasn’t capable of leading the brothers to break free—especially not against someone like Ren Shan, a ruthless and meticulous mastermind.

Just these past few days, he had asked the brothers to keep an eye out. The retired special ops personnel Ren Shan had recruited—aside from the two she kept by her side—had already been assigned to protect her family members on Fuqing Street.

She was tightening her grip.

The only reason she hadn’t acted immediately was that she was waiting—waiting for Brother Bao’s reaction.

"Brother Bao, back when we invested in Zhihang Construction, it was to give our brothers a legitimate path forward, to get them out of that life of blood and danger. And this path we chose was excellent. Over these years, the brothers have all eaten well and lived large under you, each with some savings to their name."

"Those initial 300,000 have already returned our investment many times over."

Brother Bao laughed heartily. "Dozens? More like hundreds! The real money-making days are still ahead. Ever since Boss Ren took over the business, we’ve been raking in cash. Now, not just in City A, but even in the provincial capital, the Zhihang name commands respect."

Second Brother Qian gripped Brother Bao’s hand. "Brother Bao, the brothers are all grateful to you. You’re a good elder brother. If it weren’t for you back then, my mother wouldn’t be alive today. You’ve always looked out for the brothers, and the brothers want the best for you too."

"We started with 300,000 from Comrade Zuo, and now we’ve made tens of millions. This money came because of Boss Ren. Brother Bao, we can’t be too greedy. Greed will make us the next Tang Feng. You should take the initiative and offer our 45% stake to Boss Ren as a gesture of loyalty. If she gives us money, we’ll take it. If she doesn’t, we won’t complain. With her ambition, she won’t stop here, and she won’t take our shares without giving something in return. Once we show our stance, she won’t treat us poorly in the future."

Though Brother Bao wasn’t as sharp as his strategist Second Brother Qian, he wasn’t a fool either—otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived the crackdowns unscathed with his brothers.

Standing by the window, he lit a cigarette and thought back to Ren Shan’s iron-fisted methods since joining the company. A cold sweat broke out on his back. He understood what Second Brother Qian meant.

Two days later, Brother Bao and Second Brother Qian approached Ren Shan, openly declaring their willingness to hand over all their shares as a sign of loyalty. They pledged lifelong loyalty to Boss Ren, praising her wisdom and strategic brilliance.

Their words were smooth, their demeanor humble.

Ren Shan didn’t refuse. For once, she cast an approving glance at Second Brother Qian.

Competent and clever—quite the package. Almost a shame to eliminate.

"Look at you two, talking like I’m some ruthless monster who leaves no survivors. We’re all brothers here, no need to stand on ceremony."

"Since it’s your sincere gesture, I won’t refuse. But I’ll accept the sentiment, not the ‘tribute.’ We all prosper together—that’s the way to last."

"Of your 45% stake, I’ll only take 35%. The remaining 10%, you two can keep 5% each. You’ll still be shareholders. And for that 35%, I won’t take it for free—I’ll buy it from you."

Brother Bao’s eyes lit up with joy. They had prepared for Ren Shan to take all 45%, but she was willing to leave them 5% each—and even pay for the rest.

Seeing Ren Shan pay for the 35%, Second Brother Qian breathed a quiet sigh of relief. As long as he and Brother Bao stayed useful, there would always be a place for them by Boss Ren’s side.

Noticing Second Brother Qian’s solemn expression, Brother Bao thought of Ren Shan’s past ruthlessness and broke out in a cold sweat.

Thank goodness he had Second Brother Qian.

Second Brother Qian was smart, Brother Bao had charisma—Ren Shan was satisfied with both.

With 90% of Zhihang’s shares in hand, she began expanding aggressively, pushing into the counties and the provincial capital with lightning speed. Within two years, she relocated Zhihang’s headquarters to the provincial capital.

Su Ping turned thirty. Zuo Zuying brought Su An all the way from the south to celebrate his birthday. In City A, a man’s thirtieth was a major birthday, one taken seriously.

The Wang family gathered together. Even Wang Yongzheng, who was constantly traveling, returned with his son Wang Jianbing. Wang Jianyong, working in a neighboring city, also came back with his pregnant wife.

The Good Luck Restaurant had been renamed Good Luck Hotel, with multiple locations across City A. Su Ping had been promoted to executive chef of the main branch.

Ren Shan made a sweeping gesture and reserved the entire main location of Good Luck Hotel to celebrate Su Ping's birthday.

Many guests arrived—Brother Bao and Second Brother Qian brought their trusted brothers, key members from Zhihang, the Wang family, Chu Shuyu and her husband, Wang Xuanying and her husband from Xiaocui's Delicacies, Wang Damin and his wife, He Manxia and her group from Ping'an Trade, Master Cheng's family, Mr. Luo, Eldest Master Cai, and others—nearly packed the place.

A three-tiered cake was brought out by Ren Shan and the crew, and everyone cheered for Su Ping to make a wish.

Su Ping's eyes, after all these years, remained unchanged—still bright and innocent, brimming with happiness. He had lost weight, since Shan Shan said carrying extra weight wasn’t healthy.

Clasping his hands together, he made his wishes:

"Please let Grandma get better soon."

"Please keep Uncle, Auntie, Mom, Mr. Luo, Eldest Master Cai, Master, Shan Shan, and everyone safe and healthy."

"Let An An find happiness and fulfillment, and may the baby in her belly be born safely and grow up strong."

...

In the standalone villa of Longxiang Mansion Phase III, Wang Xiaocui cornered Su An for a talk. "Stay longer this time, won’t you? Don’t give me that ‘too busy with work’ excuse—I already know you’ve been traveling all over the country with Xiao Zuo these past two years."

Su An looked a little embarrassed. "Mom, I wasn’t planning to leave right away this time. Just don’t get sick of me and shoo me away."

Wang Xiaocui glanced at Su Ping, who was happily opening red envelopes with Ren Shan, and sighed worriedly. "Your brother isn’t getting any younger and still hasn’t settled down. Our family’s situation is good now, but for some reason, none of the setups ever pan out. Everything seemed fine during the meetings, but the next day, they’d say no or just disappear. Some even agreed to meet but never showed up."

Zuo Zuying glanced at Ren Shan, his lips twitching. That menace was getting worse—no wonder nothing worked out. Anyone who dared to meet his brother-in-law would be asking for trouble. If they didn’t run, they’d be lucky to keep their lives.

That night, Zuo Zuying pulled Su An aside and insisted, "Your brother’s marriage situation is definitely Ren Shan’s doing. Without her say-so, he’ll die a bachelor."

The next day, Su An confronted Ren Shan, asking if her childhood conviction still held after all these years.

With her current success, she could marry into any wealthy or even high-ranking official’s family.

Without hesitation, Ren Shan replied,

"Still the same."

She had once wanted a simple, ordinary life. The only reason she climbed so high now was because Su Ping had gone missing for a day and night before. She feared that if he got lost again, she wouldn’t be able to find him in time.