Ch. 1141..1150

Chapter 1141: 1140 Testing

Jiang Min had asked Tan Rou to treat a patient. She knew that Tan Rou’s medical skills were very good and that they were close. Tan Rou would not lie to her.

“You want me to treat your second uncle?” Tan Rou didn’t object. “If his leg is really injured, I have a way to help him recover quickly. But if his leg isn’t injured, it means that he’s pretending to be sick and deliberately letting you take over the project.”

Jiang Min nodded and said, “Since he threw this big problem at me, there’s no need for me to be polite to him. This project was originally his. If it wasn’t for his leg injury, I wouldn’t have come. So I’m going to return to this project now. As long as I can prove that his leg isn’t injured or that his leg has recovered, then there’s no need for me to stay here and waste my time.”

Tan Rou felt that Jiang Min was very smart. If Jiang Min told her father about this, her father would definitely be angry first and then think of a way to solve this problem. Judging from her father’s attitude, he would probably protect his younger brother. Perhaps he would end up paying money to solve the problem.

Moreover, if the delay was too long, it would have a great impact on Jiang Min. After all, she was also involved in this project. No one cared when she joined. If the project she participated in had quality problems, it would not be beneficial to her future development.

“When are we going to see your second uncle? I suggest you go quickly. Don’t waste too much time,” said Tan Rou.

Jiang Min said, “It’s already been arranged. My uncle and I are going to the rehabilitation center for treatment this afternoon. When the time comes, the two of us will go together. Just say that we have some questions to ask my second uncle. My second uncle will definitely not be suspicious.”

“That’s a good idea.” Tan Rou agreed.

In the afternoon, Jiang Min drove Tan Rou to the rehabilitation center. Before she even entered the door, she saw a young boy sitting beside Jiang Hao. Jiang Hao’s face was full of smiles.

“Is that your cousin? He’s not coming back to pick up the loot, is he?” Tan Rou guessed.

Jiang Min sneered. “What a joke. He didn’t even come back during the New Year. Now that he realized that there was something to be gained, he immediately rushed back.”

“Guess if your cousin knows what your second uncle did?” Tan Rou asked.

Jiang Min couldn’t hold it in either. “My cousin isn’t that kind of person. I’m sure he doesn’t know.”

“After listening to your description, I feel that your cousin isn’t someone easy to deal with. Your second uncle has done so much for him and is about to get your family’s company. How could he not know anything? If he doesn’t know, how can he come back and inherit the company?”

Jiang Min felt that Tan Rou’s words made sense. “I’ll split them up and test them out later. If my cousin knows about this, then I won’t be polite.”

“Your cousin is a ticking time bomb. That’s because he is the only child,” Tan Rou reminded him. “If your father’s heart softens, he might really let him enter the company.”

Jiang Min clenched her fists. “Impossible! As long as I’m alive, my second uncle’s family won’t be able to touch my family’s company. If my cousin really knows what my second uncle did, then don’t blame me for chasing them out to sleep on the streets!”

Tan Rou knew that Jiang Min was not a weak person. She was very resolute. When the explosion happened at their university, Tan Rou knew Jiang Min’s temper. As long as she wanted to do something, even ten cows could not pull her back.

Not long after, Jiang Hao and his son separated. Jiang Min then brought Tan Rou in.

Jiang Hao was very enthusiastic when he saw Tan Rou. “Is this the boss of TR? You look really young!”

Tan Rou smiled gently. “Hello, Mr. Jiang. I’m just here to ask a few questions. I wanted to know if all the walls at the building can be crushed that easily.”

When Jiang Hao heard the word ‘wall’, his expression changed for a moment. However, he quickly returned to normal. He didn’t answer Tan Rou’s question directly. Instead, he asked, “Have you guys started construction yet?”

“Yes, we plan to install it from the lowest floor.” Tan Rou said.

Jiang Hao’s serious expression instantly relaxed. “Oh, that’s fine too. Then you guys have to hurry up so as not to affect the construction period.”

“Of course,” Tan Rou said, noticing Jiang Hao’s change of expression.

 

Chapter 1142: 1141 Looking at the Leg

 

 

After chatting for a while, Jiang Min shifted her attention to Jiang Hao’s leg. “Second Uncle, is your leg better?”

Jiang Hao’s leg was in a cast, and it looked like he was seriously injured. When he heard Jiang Min ask about the condition of his leg, he immediately pretended to be in pain. “It’s said that it takes a hundred days to recover from an injury. My injury has only been less than half a month. How can it be better now?”

Jiang Min deliberately said, “Second Uncle, you’re too unlucky. People might be fine even if they jumped down from the second floor. You only took a few steps, but you fell so badly. You can’t even go to the company.”

Jiang Hao smiled. “It’s fine as long as you and Big Brother are in the company. Big Brother thinks highly of you now. You have to work hard!”

Jiang Min said obediently, “Second Uncle, don’t worry. I will definitely work hard. But I think it’s a pity that if your leg wasn’t injured, you would be responsible for the government building’s performance this time. Now that you’re injured and I’ve taken over your job, we have to share this glory together.”

Jiang Hao didn’t show any regret on his face. Instead, he was a little excited. “Little Min, you can’t say that. We’re all family. There’s no need to differentiate between the results so clearly.”

Jiang Minwei smiled slightly. “Second Uncle, the work at the government building hasn’t been completed yet. If you’re feeling better, you should come too. I won’t covet this little bit of performance.”

Jiang Hao immediately rejected this suggestion. “Little Min, you really don’t have to be polite with me. This is your first time participating in construction work. I’m sure you need this performance very much. That’s why Second Uncle specifically asked you to take over my job. The job is relatively simple, but you’ll be able to learn a lot from it. I think you’ll need it.”

If she hadn’t discovered the problem with the wall, Jiang Min would really have been happy because of Jiang Hao’s words. However, now that Jiang Min had guessed Jiang Hao’s thoughts and saw that Jiang Hao’s son, Jiang Xian, had returned, she wouldn’t be moved by such words anymore.

“Then I really have to thank Second Uncle.” Jiang Min had a grateful smile on her face. “My father still values this project very much. The day before I took over the job, he specially called me into the study and told me about work for a long time. He also said that Second Uncle specifically asked me to take over the job. No matter what, I won’t let Second Uncle and Father down.”

Jiang Hao was very satisfied with Jiang Min’s attitude. “Little Min, you have to work hard. Our Jiang family will depend on you in the future.”

Jiang Min put on a worried expression again. “Second Uncle, you have to recover quickly.”

Jiang Hao nodded. “Alright, I’ll definitely cooperate with the treatment.”

Jiang Min said, “Second Uncle, I brought my friend here for two purposes. One is to think about some professional problems. The other is to take a look at your legs.”

Jiang Hao thought that Tan Rou wanted to visit him. He said, “My leg is the same. You don’t have to worry.”

Tan Rou said, “I’ve also studied medicine for a few years. I’m very good at seeing orthopedic problems. Why don’t I take a look at Mr. Jiang’s leg?”

“Are you a doctor?” Jiang Hao asked nervously.

“To be honest, I don’t have a Western medicine license.” She had a Chinese medicine license, which she had taken when she was in her second year.

Jiang Hao was immediately unhappy. “Since you don’t have a medical license, how are you going to treat me?”

He lectured Jiang Min again. “Little Min, I’ve always thought that you’re a very steady girl. Now it seems that Second Uncle was wrong.”

Jiang Min knew that Jiang Hao didn’t like her, but she didn’t expect him to be unwilling to put on an act for a while longer. “Second Uncle, why am I not steady? Besides, even if I’m not steady, I’m still better than Jiang Xian. I heard that he changed his car last month. I wonder what excuse he’s going to use to buy a new car this time.”

Jiang Hao glared at her. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll buy it for him.”

Jiang Min deliberately said, “Second Uncle, I’m just being kind. If you don’t want us to see your leg, then we won’t. We’ll ask the doctor later and see when your leg will recover.”

Although Jiang Hao had already informed the doctor, he was still worried that the matter would be exposed. “Since it’s your filial piety, let’s take a look.”

 

 

Chapter 1143: 1142 Pretending to Be Sick

 

 

Jiang Min was determined to see if Jiang Hao’s leg was injured today. Since she got here, she had already planned it out. If Jiang Hao didn’t let her see it, she would deliberately pour water on Jiang Hao’s gauze. The winter weather was very cold. Even if there was a heater in the room, Jiang Hao wouldn’t be able to stand it being wet.

Fortunately, Jiang Hao didn’t persist for too long. They probably felt that Tan Rou was too young and wasn’t a professional doctor, so she couldn’t see the problem with his leg at all. Therefore, he boldly asked them to come and take a look at his leg.

Tan Rou and Jiang Min looked at each other. Jiang Min nodded at her, signaling for her to quickly go over and check.

Tan Rou sat on the chair and first checked Jiang Hao’s pulse, then pressed on the muscles in his legs. Every time she pressed, Jiang Hao’s face would show a painful expression, as if he was trying his best to endure something.

“That’s enough.” Tan Rou wiped her hands with the wet tissue next to her and said, “Mr. Jiang’s leg injury is really serious. If you don’t take care of it, you might not be able to stand up in the future. I know a friend who didn’t protect his legs well when he was young. When he was in his twenties, he couldn’t stand on his legs anymore. Now, he can only rely on a wheelchair to walk. He needs someone to carry him up and down the steps.”

Jiang Hao was stunned for a moment. “Really? Guess I really have to take good care of myself this time.”

He looked at his legs as if he was thinking about something.

After she finished speaking, Jiang Min finished seeing the doctor. There was no need for her to stay here anymore. She said, “Second Uncle, I still have some work to deal with, so I won’t be here to accompany you. If you need anything, just call me. Don’t be polite to me. Your child is not in the country, so let me take care of you in his place.”

Seeing that they hadn’t found anything, Jiang Hao was relieved. “Alright, you guys go back first. Be careful on the way.”

Tan Rou and Jiang Min left the ward. As soon as they left, Jiang Xian slipped back into the ward.

“Dad, when are you going to buy me a new car?” Jiang Xian muttered, “Also, why did Second Sister get someone else to treat your leg? Could it be that he found out that you were pretending to be sick?”

Jiang Hao said, “That’s impossible. That girl is obviously here to swindle money. She doesn’t have any great abilities. Plus, there’s a cast on my leg. Even if she’s a real doctor, she won’t be able to tell what’s wrong with it.”

Jiang Xian was relieved. “Dad, why don’t you talk to Uncle again and get him to agree to let me join the company? That way, you don’t have to worry about me being taken care of overseas.”

Jiang Hao was silent for a moment. “Didn’t I tell you to wait for an opportunity? Now that Jiang Min has fallen into the trap, as long as the matter is exposed, I will drag her down with me. You’re my only son, and you’re also the most promising person in our Jiang family. Your oldest cousin’s brother only knows how to be a teacher, so he won’t have much potential. So you must work hard and strive to surpass your second sister as soon as possible. That way, uncle will be at ease and let you inherit the family business.”

Jiang Xian was overjoyed. If he inherited the family business, the first thing he would do was to buy a few more sports cars and drive a different one seven days a week.

“Dad, hurry up.” Jiang Xian urged.

In the car, Tan Rou was telling Jiang Min about what she had just learned. “There’s nothing wrong with your second uncle’s leg. His cast is fake. The gap between the cast and the leg is too big. It wouldn’t be able to achieve anything.”

Jiang Min knew that Jiang Hao was lying. She slammed the steering wheel in anger. “Bastard, we should go back to him now and throw away his cast!”

Tan Rou stopped her. “Don’t be anxious. If you head back now, he’ll only complain to your father about you. We have to think of a way to control him and get him to reveal that his leg is fine.”

“I was just about to pour the ice water outside on his legs but he suddenly agreed to let you treat him which was why I couldn’t pour any more water,” said Jiang Min.

“Perhaps this method is feasible.” Tan Rou said, “Under normal circumstances, when people come into contact with very hot or very cold water, they will have a stress reaction. You can make use of it. Plus, his cast is fake. It probably won’t be comfortable if it’s on him for a long time. You can get your trusted aides to keep an eye on him and find an opportunity to pour water on him.”

“Alright, I’ll have it arranged now.” Jiang Min answered without any hesitation.

 

Chapter 1144: 1143 Work Suspended

 

 

Now that they’ve discovered that there was a problem with the wall, Tan Rou would not be able to continue installing the equipment. On one hand, it was not safe to operate. On the other hand, the problem had already been discovered. If they did not report it, if something happened in the future, they would be in big trouble.

However, Jiang Min hadn’t settled the matter yet. If Tan Rou reported this to Mayor Guo, Mayor Guo would definitely find trouble with Jiang Min. Tan Rou didn’t want Jiang Min to get into trouble.

She urged Jiang Min to get Jiang Hao back as soon as possible so that she could carry out the next step of her plan.

Jiang Min promised her that she would solve Jiang Hao’s problem within three days and asked Tan Rou to put in a good word for her with Mayor Guo. Tan Rou promised her that she wouldn’t report this matter to the higher-ups for the time being and would have a reason to slow down the progress to buy her some time.

In the evening, Tan Rou and Zhuang Liu went for dinner. She told Zhuang Liu what had happened in the past two days and asked him to give her some advice.

“Ah Liu, do you think what I did was right?” Tan Rou was actually a little confused. If it was in the past, she would definitely report this matter to Mayor Guo without hesitation, but now she could not do it.

The older she got, the more people she met. If those who were really good to her made a mistake, she would inevitably be biased.

Zhuang Liu didn’t directly answer whether her actions were right or wrong. Instead, he analyzed the pros and cons with her. “If you hadn’t discovered the problem this time, the main person in charge of the Jiang family would have been locked up. Moreover, in the past few years, the country has been strictly investigating cases of jerry-building. If they are discovered, the Jiang family’s reputation will be damaged and they will lose many customers because of this reason.”

Tan Rou naturally understood this point. “The Jiang family’s reputation will definitely be affected, but if Senior Jiang isn’t the person in charge, then the implications will be much smaller. Senior Jiang is very good to me. I don’t want to see her get into trouble.”

“Give her three days then,” Zhuang Liu comforted. “If she can’t solve this problem within three days, then you don’t have to hide it for her. You’ve already done well enough. This matter isn’t your problem. There’s no need for you to continue dwelling on it.”

“Yes. I’ll give her another three days.” Tan Rou nodded.

Jiang Min’s speed was much faster than Tan Rou had imagined. The next afternoon, Jiang Min called Tan Rou and asked her to come to the hospital as soon as possible. She had something urgent to inform Tan Rou.”

Tan Rou hurriedly drove to the hospital that Jiang Min mentioned and saw Jiang Min at the door with an excited expression.

“Senior Jiang, it seems like you’ve succeeded.” Tan Rou said with a smile.

Jiang Min took Tan Rou to the side and whispered to her, “I’ve already succeeded halfway. My second uncle is receiving treatment inside. I specifically asked to come to this hospital. Although my second uncle strongly objected, my father felt that this hospital was closest, so he sent him here.”

“How did you get him to the hospital?” Tan Rou asked.

Jiang Min said, “Last night, I had been planning it. In the end, I decided to pour hot soup on his legs. When his skin is scalded, he must come to the hospital for treatment. When the doctor sees it, he will know that he is pretending to be sick.”

Tan Rou was convinced by this method. “Aren’t you afraid of burning yourself?”

“No, I was wearing gloves.” Jiang Min beamed with joy as she introduced her cooking method to Tan Rou. “I made a soup that’s good for bone recovery. I specially chose to bring the soup to Second Uncle when he came over for dinner. Then, I pretended that my hand slipped and poured all the soup onto his leg. He was in so much pain that he jumped up. Both his legs were fine, and there were no signs of fractures at all.”

“Did your father see it?” Tan Rou asked.

“Of course!” This was where Jiang Min’s joy came from.

“When my dad saw my second uncle stand up and his expression immediately changed. He didn’t even bother to teach me a lesson for spilling the soup and directly started asking my second uncle what happened to his leg.”

Jiang Min held her stomach and laughed. “You know what? My second uncle’s fake cast was attached with a magnetic button. After he was scalded, he pulled the fake cast off in an instant. When my dad saw that scene, his face darkened. He wanted to kick my second uncle out immediately.”

Tan Rou nodded slightly. “I’ll make you some ointment for burns. Give it to your second uncle so that he can recover faster. That way, you can withdraw from this project.”

 

Chapter 1145: 1144 Brotherhood

 

 

“Do you want to go and see them? My dad must be confronting me right now. I want to see them brothers fight.” Jiang Min asked.

Tan Rou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Your father and second uncle wouldn’t do something so childish, right?”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Jiang Min said.

“When the two of them were in the company, they would often quarrel. Sometimes, my father would hit my second uncle with the ashtray on the table. However, my father still dotes on this younger brother the most. Even if my second uncle has caused a lot of trouble, my father will solve it for him.”

Tan Rou wanted to know how they quarreled. “Then let’s go and take a look. At the same time, tell your father about the government building and see how he reacts.”

Jiang Min and Tan Rou came outside the ward. The two brothers were arguing in front of the bed. Jiang Min’s father asked Jiang Hao why he was pretending to be sick. Jiang Hao said that he was too tired and wanted to rest for a while.

However, Father Jiang didn’t believe this reason. He forced Jiang Hao to tell him the truth.

Tan Rou whispered to Jiang Min. “Where’s your cousin? He didn’t even come to see his father when he was injured.”

Jiang Min replied, “No one knows about Jiang Xian’s return. I didn’t find out his whereabouts either. He’s probably hiding somewhere and waiting for the right time to come out and be the boss.”

Jiang Hao didn’t know what they were talking about, but Father Jiang suddenly slapped Jiang Hao. Jiang Hao covered his face and shouted, rushing up to Father Jiang.

When Jiang Min saw this scene, she immediately rushed in and pushed Jiang Hao away. “Second Uncle, what are you doing? Are you still going to hit my dad?”

Jiang Hao glared at Jiang Min fiercely. “It’s all your fault. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have caused so much trouble!”

Father Jiang was very angry. “Minmin didn’t spill the soup on purpose, but I have to thank Minmin. If it weren’t for Minmin today, I don’t know how many days I would have been deceived by you.”

Jiang Hao wasn’t talking about that, but since Father Jiang was here, he couldn’t directly blame Jiang Min. “Big Brother, you’ve always looked down on me. You think I’m a terrible person, don’t you?”

“Aren’t you a terrible person?” Father Jiang was also in a fit of anger. He said whatever was on his mind. “Ever since you were young, you’ve never done anything well! Ever since you joined the company, you’ve always needed someone to help you with projects. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re my brother, I would have fired you long ago.”

He was getting angrier and angrier. It was as if he was saying all the things he had said for decades today. “And that unlucky son of yours. He’s exactly like you when you were young. Not only can he not do anything, but he also causes trouble overseas every day. I heard that he crashed another car recently. Do you still want to buy him a car?”

“Brother, Xian lives alone overseas. What’s wrong with me treating him better? He’s your nephew!” Jiang Hao argued.

“I’m also your biological niece. Why do you want to harm me?” Jiang Min asked.

Jiang Hao didn’t understand what she was talking about. “Xiao Min, when have I ever harmed you?”

Jiang Min threw the video in front of Jiang Hao. “Second Uncle, you should know where this is, right? I don’t know anything about architecture, but that doesn’t mean that others don’t. Who are you trying to fool?”

Jiang Hao broke out in a cold sweat. “Xiao Min, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Jiang Min said to Father Jiang, “Daddy has always taken good care of Second Uncle’s family, but you don’t know that you’ve raised a bunch of ingrates! This is a video I took on the tenth floor of the new government building. The concrete in it is all fake. If such a building is put into use, there will definitely be problems.”

Father Jiang didn’t understand. “Second Brother, weren’t you in charge of this project?”

Jiang Hao couldn’t deny it, so when Father Jiang asked him, he kept silent.

Jiang Min continued, “Dad, in fact, Jiang Xian has already returned. Why do you think he came back?”

Father Jiang didn’t need to guess why Jiang Xian had come back. Things had already reached this point. If he still couldn’t understand what was happening, then there was no need for him to stay in the business world.

“You want Minmin to get into trouble and lose her right to be the heir. This way, only your son can inherit our Jiang family’s business. I’ve really underestimated you, Jiang Hao!” Father Jiang sneered.

Jiang Hao remained silent.

 

 

Chapter 1146: 1145 About the Future

 

 

Father Jiang chased Jiang Hao’s family out of the Jiang family and even removed all of Jiang Hao’s positions. However, he still kindly left Jiang Hao a project, which was the government building project.

The netizens were all speculating why Jiang Hao left the Jiang Group. Some people said that because Jiang Min had returned, Father Jiang did not want to give the family property to his younger brother. He only wanted to leave it to his son and daughter. Some people even said that Jiang Hao messed up a big project and angered Father Jiang, so Father Jiang chased him out.

However, the Jaing Group had never given an explanation for the comments on the Internet.

A few days later, a piece of news suddenly broke. It was about the connection between Jiang Hao and the new government building. Everyone immediately understood why Father Jiang wanted to chase Jiang Hao out. It was because Jiang Hao had really gotten into big trouble.

However, there were also people who said that this was Father Jiang’s scheme. He deliberately set up to chase his brother out.

No matter what, Jiang Min was very lucky not to be implicated in this matter.

Jiang Min was very grateful to Tan Rou. “Rourou, it’s all thanks to your help this time. If you hadn’t discovered the problem with the building, we would probably have continued with the renovation according to the original plan. When the renovation is done, my career will be over. Moreover, if it were anyone else who discovered the problem, they would definitely report it immediately. In that case, I would still be in a lot of trouble.”

Tan Rou felt that this was just a small favor and didn’t mind it too much. “Senior, if you want to thank me, why don’t you come to work in our company?” She made a joke to liven up the atmosphere.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Min was really considering this problem. “Rourou, after this incident, I feel that I’m still suitable for technical work, so I probably won’t stay in the construction industry anymore. This isn’t my profession, and it’s not a job I like. I might not be able to persist.”

Tan Rou gave her a suggestion. “Senior, haven’t you seen the current situation clearly? Science and technology are the primary productive forces. It is inevitable that machinery will replace labor. Our country is not doing well in this area, so there is a lot of room for development.”

Jiang Min sighed and said, “Different industries are like different mountains. Our family made our fortune in the construction industry. If we were to jump into the high-tech industry, the pressure would be too great. My dad doesn’t want to take this risk again.”

“Senior Jiang, I have something unpleasant to say to you.” Tan Rou said,” If nothing goes wrong, you’ll be the future head of the Jiang family. You can’t listen to your father in everything. The era that belonged to your parents is over. The future belongs to us young people.”

After Jiang Min heard Tan Rou’s words, her heart thumped very quickly, as if the fog in her heart had been dispelled by her.

She smiled helplessly. “Xiao Rou, I didn’t expect a junior like you to see things more clearly than a senior like me. After hearing what you said today, I feel like I’ve come back to life.”

Tan Rou said proudly, “Senior Jiang, although I’m younger than you, the number of years I’ve worked is not necessarily shorter than yours. There were some things that you couldn’t see clearly, but the people behind you could. I’ve been working hard in this field for about ten years, so I naturally know that it has endless potential in the future. If you want to get a share of the benefits, then join us quickly.”

Jiang Min was very moved by her words. She wished she could turn all her family’s businesses into high-tech industries now, but she could not do that now. “I’ve already failed once. I don’t have the energy to do it again.”

“Let’s go together.” Tan Rou stretched out her right hand.

“You didn’t attend the science and technology exchange last year, but you should have heard about what happened in the field of science and technology. Our country’s scientific and technological strength is too weak. In front of those foreigners, we don’t have much of a chance to speak. So I want the country’s technological strength to become stronger; not only for my company, but also for the future development of our country.”

Jiang Min was tempted. “What you said makes sense. Then let’s do it together. However, I still have to deal with the Jiang family’s matters. For the time being, I can’t continue working with you for now.”

Tan Rou liked Jiang Min very much, so she would naturally wait for her to return. “Senior Jiang, you’re the only one missing from our Five Golden Flowers team. You must come back!”

Jiang Min was amused by the name of the team. She agreed. “Wait for me at TR. I’ll come to you soon.”

 

Chapter 1147: 1146 Building a Mall

 

 

The work at the government building had been put on hold. Tan Rou had not started school yet, so she still had about a week to deal with her new work. She had originally planned to deal with other things after the work at the government building was over. Now that she had time, she could start building the shopping mall.

The merchants in the mall had not moved out yet. Business was not good these days. If they moved out, they did not know where they would go. Therefore, they stayed in the mall and wanted the new boss to sign a new contract with them.

Tan Rou didn’t rent the mall. She bought it, which meant she was the new boss. Moreover, most of the merchant’s contracts had expired. She did not choose to renew them, so these merchants had to leave.

Under normal circumstances, if the merchants refused to leave, the boss could use some means to protect their rights, such as cutting off the electricity and water in the mall. Tan Rou could do the same, but she didn’t choose such an extreme method. Everyone had a hard life, so she preferred to solve the problem in a gentle way.

At eight o’clock in the evening, Tan Rou and the representatives of the merchants met at the coffee shop on the top floor of the mall. There were four merchants in total, two men and two women.

There were only two people on Tan Rou’s side. She did not bring Hang Wei over. Instead, she brought her assistant, Xiao Ting. Xiao Ting was a little nervous because they were both girls and there were four of them. If they fought, the two of them would definitely be at a disadvantage.

“Boss, why don’t we call a few more people over?” Xiao Ting sat on the sofa chair, but her legs were constantly trembling.”

“There are so few of us. If we fight, we definitely won’t be able to defeat them. I’ve seen the representative from the other side last time. He’s very fierce and tall. Those two women are also a bit taller than us.”

Tan Rou was already considered tall among the girls, but the two female representatives were even taller. They were both members of a basketball club on the second floor. They were not short when playing basketball, and their physiques were very strong. It was not surprising that Xiao Ting was afraid.

“If you’re afraid, you can go back first.” Tan Rou sipped her coffee elegantly

” The coffee here is not bad, and the desserts are also quite delicious. You can pack a few portions and bring them back. Keep the receipt, I’ll reimburse you tomorrow.”

Xiao Ting was a little anxious. “Boss, how can I leave you here alone? Although I was a little scared, the two of us were better than staying here alone. Don’t worry, if they come to hurt you, I’ll definitely stand in front of you.”

Tan Rou smiled. “That small body of yours can’t even withstand a punch from me. How can you stand in front of me? If they start fighting later, find a place to hide. I’ll deal with them.”

Xiao Ting was not an outstanding person, but she was very meticulous and willing to work hard. Therefore, Tan Rou liked her very much. Otherwise, she would not have kept her by her side as an assistant.

Tan Rou didn’t need Little Ting’s protection, but when she heard Xiao Ting say that she wanted to stand in front of her, she was still very touched.

“Boss, I will definitely protect you well.” The hot-blooded Xiao Ting said.

Tan Rou was Xiao Ting’s idol. Protecting her idol was something she should do.

“Sure.”

Tan Rou took a sip of coffee and did not reject Xiao Ting’s protection. She had to be careful later. If the situation didn’t look right, she had to let this little girl go quickly. She was here to negotiate and couldn’t let her employees get hurt.

Just as Tan Rou was about to finish the cup of coffee before her, the representatives of the merchants finally arrived. Each of them had a serious expression on their faces, as if they were not here to negotiate, but to cause trouble.

Xiao Ting’s heart was beating very fast. “They’re here! Boss, I… I’ll protect you!”

Tan Rou chuckled and stuffed a cup of hot cocoa with a lot of sugar into Xiao Ting’s hands. “Have some drinks to calm yourself down. Don’t be too nervous. I’ll take care of everything.”

The four representatives walked up to Tan Rou. It wasn’t their first time meeting her, but it was their first time talking to her. “Are you the president of TR?”

“Yes. I’ll be the boss of this mall in the future,” Tan Rou said lightly.

 

Chapter 1148: 1147 Negotiations

 

 

The four of them looked at each other and then sent a representative to speak.

The merchant representative said, “Miss Tan Rou, we don’t want to quarrel with you. We’re here to give you a reasonable suggestion on behalf of all the merchants in the mall.”

Tan Rou leaned back on the sofa and crossed one leg over the other. “A reasonable suggestion? I wonder what reasonable suggestions you want to give me? Tell me about it.”

The representative saw that Tan Rou’s attitude was rather gentle, so he sat down. Then, he took out a notebook and began to make his so-called reasonable suggestions.

“First of all, although this mall already belongs to you, we merchants have been doing business here for many years. Our customers are all here. If we move away, it will definitely affect your business, so I hope that we can continue to stay here and allow us to continue. I hope you can sign a new contract with us.” The merchant representative suggested.

Tan Rou’s expression didn’t change at all. She had already expected these representatives to talk about this matter, so she nodded. “Well said. Go on to the next one.”

When the merchant representative heard this, his confidence grew. They were already prepared to argue with Tan Rou, but when they thought about how easy Tan Rou was to talk to, not only did she not argue, but she also patiently listened to their suggestions.

However, this was quite reasonable. After all, Tan Rou was a young lady. This time, only she and a young lady beside her came. The two young ladies would definitely be afraid of them. The current situation was very favorable for them. They had to seize the time and put forward all their suggestions.

“Second suggestion.” The representative continued, “There are still some merchants in this mall whose contracts haven’t expired. Now that you’ve bought the mall, you have to maintain the previous contracts and compensate these merchants for the replacement of the contracts.”

Tan Rou was almost amused by them, but she held it in. “What kind of compensation do you need?”

Her tone was very gentle, as if she really wanted to compensate them. The representatives were overjoyed. They did not follow the agreement they had reached earlier and began to propose compensation conditions.

“We want to lower the rent! We want to extend the contract. We want to change to a bigger shop, but the rent should be kept at the same rate.”

This representative was talking about his conditions like hundreds of ducks making a ruckus. Tan Rou did not hear clearly who was talking. She only knew that they wanted to lower the rent, extend the contract period, and change the store.

Tan Rou laughed coldly in her heart. These few representatives were not united. They were all here for their own benefits. Once there was a conflict of interest, she reckoned that she would not need to do anything. They would start fighting on their own.

“Your suggestion is quite reasonable. I don’t think I have any reason to reject you,” said Tan Rou.

The representatives were very happy and praised Tan Rou. “Miss Tan Rou, you’re really a good person!”

Tan Rou finished the coffee in her cup and started talking about business. “Do you know why I bought this mall?”

“I heard that you’re going to hold an exhibition here,” said the representative who spoke first.

“I’m sure everyone knows what the TR Company produces. I didn’t buy this mall to collect rent. I wanted to turn it into an exhibition hall. I originally thought that there was no need to use so many floors, so I wanted to turn one or two floors into an exhibition hall. Now that I think about it, I should renovate all the floors.”

Tan Rou had never thought of chasing all the merchants out. If possible, she would still be willing to let these merchants stay. After all, she did not need such a large space.

However, after listening to these merchants’ words tonight, she suddenly felt that none of these merchants could stay. They were clearly at a disadvantage, but they still dared to make so many demands of her. Did they really think that she was easy to bully?

The representative was very angry. “What do you mean? If you renovate all the floors, how will our shop continue to operate?”

“Well, you can choose not to open for business.” Tan Rou chuckled.

“Why should I not open for business?” the representative said angrily.

Tan Rou’s gaze turned extremely cold. She raised her chin slightly and said, “Because I’m the boss of the mall now! If I want you to close down, you have to close down!”

 

Chapter 1149: 1148 Chaos

 

 

“Impossible! We will never close down!” All the representatives stood up. Their voices were very loud, as if they wanted to use their voices to suppress Tan Rou. “If you dare to touch our shop, we’ll fight you to the death!”

“If I remember correctly, the contract for both of you will expire at the end of this month, right?” Tan Rou didn’t shout at them. She just brought out the contracts of two of them. “Once the contract is up, if I don’t renew it with you, you have to leave. If you don’t leave, I can call the police to arrest you.”

The representative was still very arrogant. “I won’t leave. Unless you kill me, I won’t leave my shop!”

Tan Rou could not understand what they were thinking. “It’s not like I’m not going to compensate you for the breach of contract. Why do you have to be so desperate?”

The representative said, “The amount of compensation for breach of contract is indeed very large, but we can’t rely on it for the rest of our lives. If we leave this mall, we’ll have to find a new place. There won’t be any customers in the new place, and we don’t know what the environment there is like. This is too risky for us.”

“We’re all just trying to keep our business. When we encounter something, we definitely have to think for ourselves. I’m here to earn money, not to do charity, so I won’t give in this time.” Tan Rou was very determined.

The previous owner of the mall had told Tan Rou that the merchants in this mall were difficult to deal with. However, he only told her that after he sold the mall to Tan Rou.

Tan Rou didn’t care about such a small matter. She had her eyes on this mall. No matter what, she would buy it.

“So there’s no space for negotiation?” The merchant representative’s expression changed for a moment. “Since you want to force us to die, then we’ll send you to hell together!”

The merchant representative suddenly made a move. He quickly rushed in front of Tan Rou and wanted to grab her.

Tan Rou moved much faster than him. When he moved, Tan Rou moved aside.

The merchant representative fell onto the sofa and was hit hard by the side of the sofa. If this was a wooden sofa, he would probably have internal bleeding from the impact.

“Boss, you have to be careful!” Xiao Ting rushed over to protect Tan Rou.

The crazy merchant representative didn’t manage to catch Tan Rou. Instead, he turned around to grab Xiao Ting. Xiao Ting wasn’t as fast as Tan Rou, and her strength was also very weak. She was caught by the merchant representative in an instant.

The merchant representative grabbed Xiao Ting’s neck and slowly led her out of the coffee shop. “If you don’t agree to our request, I’ll strangle her to death now!”

Xiao Ting was so scared that her legs went weak, but she still said firmly, “If you strangle me to death, the police will definitely not let you off!”

“If it wasn’t for your boss forcing me, I wouldn’t be in this state.” The merchant representative sneered.

Xiao Ting did not understand what he was thinking. “Are you crazy? When did my boss force you? She has already promised to pay a high compensation for breaching the contract and has also promised to give you two more than half a month to move out. What else are you dissatisfied with?”

The merchant representative said, “I’ve been operating here for ten years and have accumulated ten years worth of customers here. If I leave now, where will I find these customers?”

Xiao Ting said, “As long as your things are good, no matter where you go, your customers will follow. Just like the TR company, even if our boss is not around, there will still be many customers coming to us. We have many old customers and many new customers. They like us, so no matter where we are, they will come to us.”

The merchant representative did not listen to her at all. He kept challenging Tan Rou. “If you don’t agree to my request, I’ll die with your assistant right now. Anyway, if you chase us out of the mall, we won’t be able to live. Then we might as well die together!”

Tan Rou frowned slightly. She said calmly, “Tell me what you want. As long as you don’t hurt her, we can talk about everything. If you hurt her, there’s no need for us to discuss it anymore.”

The representative was a little agitated. He grabbed Xiao Ting’s neck tightly. “Write me a guarantee. Otherwise, I won’t believe you.”

“I don’t have pen and paper,” Tan Rou replied. His companion immediately handed her a pen and paper, as if he had already expected this scene.

 

Chapter 1150: 1149 Very timely

 

 

Tan Rou admired these people. She had thought that they were here to fight, but she didn’t expect them to be here to take lives.

She took the pen and paper provided by the other party and sat back on the chair. “I’ll write the guarantee now. Let go of your hand a little. If you hurt her, I won’t write the guarantee.”

The representative thought for a moment and finally decided to loosen his grip a little. “Then write it quickly. You must finish writing the guarantee within two minutes.”

Tan Rou sighed softly, but she wasn’t sighing for herself, but for these people.

This guarantee was written under threat, so it was not legally binding. It could even be used as evidence that she was threatened. Once she submitted this as evidence, these people would be in big trouble. However, if she did not submit evidence, the merchant who threatened Xiao Ting could not escape legal punishment. After all, his actions had already threatened Xiao Ting’s life and safety.

As Tan Rou wrote the guarantee, she glanced to the side. However, she was not looking at the merchants. Instead, she was looking at a man wearing a cap and a mask.

The man had been sitting on the sofa in the corner since she sat down. He had ordered a cup of coffee but did not drink it. It had been more than an hour, and he had not moved at all.

Tan Rou was almost done writing the guarantee letter. She knocked on the table a few times, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a gentle smile.

“What are you laughing at? Have you finished writing the guarantee?” the tall woman threatened.

Tan Rou replied, “I’m laughing at how bold you are. You actually dare to do such a thing in front of so many people. Aren’t you afraid that I’ll call the police?”

They had caused such a ruckus here, but no one had said anything to stop them. It could be seen that these people had long colluded. Moreover, for the sake of tonight’s negotiations, this coffee shop was not open to the public, so there were not many customers at all.

The woman said, “Of course we’re afraid that you’ll call the police. That’s why only a few of us came this time. Whether it succeeds or fails, only a few of us will be punished. The other merchants can still continue to work.”

Tan Rou shook her head gently. “I guess you guys received a lot of money, right?”

The four of them had indeed received a lot of money because their shops were originally on the first and second floors. No matter what, they could not keep their shops, so they might as well take more money.

Tan Rou finished writing the guarantee and folded it before handing it to the woman closest to her. “I’ve already written it. The rest is up to you.”

After saying that, she looked around the corner again. The man had already disappeared. She did not know when he had left.

There were two other customers in the coffee shop. They seemed to be a couple. When they saw the terrifying incident, they immediately hid under the table and did not move at all.

Tan Rou looked at the uneaten cake on the table and felt that it was a pity. She had originally wanted to bring a few cakes back for Zhuang Liu to eat, but now there was no chance.

The tall woman reached out to take the letter of guarantee. Tan Rou stared at her and when her hand was in front of her, she grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto the sofa. However, she kicked the other woman who wanted to come over and help three meters away.

The other party did not expect Tan Rou to suddenly attack, nor did they expect Tan Rou to be so strong and so fast that they did not have a chance to fight back.

The remaining man also made his move. He picked up the decorative sign on the table and threw it at Tan Rou. Tan Rou glanced at it from the corner of her eye and saw the decorative sign flying towards her. She grabbed it with her backhand and hit it casually, hitting the man’s head. Tan Rou took advantage of the gap when he was covering his head and knocked him down.

In the end, only the representative who had grabbed Xiao Ting was still standing. However, he did not stand for long because the man in the cap who Tan Rou had been staring at earlier had already made his move.

The man quickly approached the merchant representative. When he was distracted, he kicked the crook of his leg and pulled Xiao Ting out of his hand.

Xiao Ting coughed a few times and threw herself into Tan Rou’s arms. “Boss, I’m so scared!”

“You’re fine now,” Tan Rou comforted