"No deal," Shen Jingzhe said bluntly, offering him no courtesy whatsoever.

Lin Xiao knew she would refuse him, but he didn't care. He'd just act as if she had agreed.

"Here's the situation. Qing Ning hired a new manager today. He has quite a background, and his intentions are malicious!"

"What do you mean? Is he after your wife?"

Lin Xiao nodded. "Exactly. You know I'm just a security guard at the bar, so I can't be by her side at all times!"

"You want me to stay by your wife's side?"

"No, you're already her bodyguard, so of course you should be near her. What I mean is, while you're protecting my wife, you also need to keep an eye on that new manager. He's not a good person. You absolutely have to keep her safe!"

Shen Jingzhe shot Lin Xiao a cold glance. She had thought it was some earth-shattering crisis, but it turned out to be such a minor affair.

"Got it."

"Then go find my wife. She should be in her office now. Jing Zhe, my happiness is in your hands!"

"Hmph, I can't be responsible for that. But what I don't understand is, if you know he's no good, why don't you get rid of him yourself? Why let him stay by your wife's side? Isn't that like planting a time bomb next to her?"

Lin Xiao sighed with feigned helplessness. "My wife hired him. If I just fired him, wouldn't that be a slap in her face?"

"You really do love Su Qingning," Shen Jingzhe stated coldly.

"Of course. If I don't love my wife, should I love you instead?"

WHOOSH!

Shen Jingzhe's face instantly flushed crimson, but fortunately, her thin veil hid it. Otherwise, the woman would have been so embarrassed she would have wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. To cover her shame, she feigned anger and snapped, "Nothing good ever comes out of a filthy mouth like yours!"

After spitting out the words, she fled in a panic.

「At the same time.」

Su Qingkun was having dinner with his father.

"Dad, you have no idea how arrogant that damned beggar was today! He came to my company and had the gall to tell me to shut it down!" Su Qingkun said furiously.

Su Daonong snorted. "The competition date is getting closer, and Su Qingning's pathetic bar isn't showing any signs of improvement. So she wants you to close your company to win by default. That's just wishful thinking!"

"Tell me about it," Su Qingkun said with a sneer. "Too bad for him, he's just a filthy beggar. I'm not afraid of him. By the way, Dad, what's the plan for my sister? Are you really going to let her spend her life with that beggar?"

Su Daonong's expression darkened. "You think I want this? This engagement was decreed by Xiao Shixiong himself. Who would dare to defy him? However, I've recently been in contact with his butler. I gave him ten million, and he said he's willing to put in a good word for me. Once Xiao Shixiong gives the okay, I'll have someone get rid of that damned beggar immediately!"

"Dad, when the time comes, why don't we get rid of Su Qingning along with her beggar husband?"

"Naturally. I've been sick of that filthy beggar for a long time!"

As the two of them were eating, Su Daonong's phone rang. When he saw the caller ID, he was so startled that he shot up from his seat.

"Dad, who is it? Why are you so shocked?"

"The head of Jinling City's most powerful family, a member of the A9 Alliance… Shao… Shao Zhonglou!" Su Daonong stammered, his voice trembling.

Su Qingkun was stunned as well, but then he had a sudden thought. "Dad, Shao Zhonglou is calling you himself. Could it be that he wants to collaborate with us?"

Su Daonong was taken aback. "Collaborate? What right do we have to collaborate with someone like him?"

"You never know. Maybe he thinks your son is a rare talent and wants to work with us!"

Su Daonong stared at Su Qingkun, and the more he looked, the more he felt his son had a point. He instantly grew excited and quickly answered the phone. "Mr. Shao, hello, this is… this is Su Daonong!"

"Good, you're the one I'm looking for," an imposing voice came from the other end.

"Mr. Shao, I… I was wondering… what can I do for you?"

"Your son, Su Qingkun, owns a trading company?"

BOOM!

Su Daonong was ecstatic. Utterly thrilled. His son had been right. This had to be about a partnership.

"Mr. Shao, yes, yes! My humble son is currently running a trading company, and it's doing quite well. I was wondering if you…"

Shao Zhonglou cut him off. "Before the sun sets today, I want to hear that your son's company has gone bankrupt. Otherwise, the Su Family will be in jeopardy."

After delivering that sentence, Shao Zhonglou hung up.

Su Daonong collapsed back into his chair. His face was ashen, his eyes filled with utter terror.

"Dad, what… what happened?" Su Qingkun asked hurriedly, sensing something was terribly wrong.

"Shao… Shao Zhonglou said… he wants you to shut down your company!"

BOOM!

Su Qingkun slumped to the floor. Suddenly, he remembered Lin Xiao's words, and his eyes filled with a horrifying dread. Did that beggar really wield that much power?

「That evening.」

Lin Xiao walked into Su Qingning's office. It was almost dinnertime, so he had naturally come to take her out to eat.

Inside the spacious office were Su Qingning, the ever-present Shen Jingzhe, and Yang Fan, who was giving Su Qingning a work report. Yang Fan was discussing business strategies for the bar with her, and it seemed to be going well. At least Su Qingning's expression was gentle, not as cold as it usually was with others.

Upon seeing Lin Xiao, Yang Fan stood up like a gentleman and said, "Ms. Su, Captain Lin is here. I'll take my leave now."

"It's fine," Su Qingning replied. "Please continue with the ideas you were sharing."

Lin Xiao also smiled. "Right, you two carry on. Just pretend I'm not here."

Yang Fan shot Lin Xiao an apologetic look, then said resolutely, "Alright then. Ms. Su, I believe that for our bar to truly grow and succeed, we need a gimmick. We have to tap into people's natural curiosity. There are so many bars nowadays; without a unique hook, it's impossible to stand out!"

"What kind of gimmick are you referring to?" Su Qingning pressed.

Yang Fan gave an embarrassed smile. "I've been to many bars over the years, both here and abroad. Many bars become popular because of their beautiful women, while others thrive on an exciting atmosphere. If we want our bar to succeed, I think we first need to replace the servers."

"Replace the servers?" Su Qingning frowned slightly.

"Exactly. We should replace them all with exceptionally handsome men and stunningly beautiful women. The majority of our clientele are young people. If we don't have something to attract them, they won't come!"

The current servers at Su Qingning's bar were mostly young, but their looks were indeed average. Although Lin Xiao knew about Yang Fan's background and his true motives for getting close to Su Qingning, he had to admit the suggestion was a good one. It was worth a try.

Seeing Su Qingning's silence, Yang Fan continued, "Ms. Su, what I just mentioned is only the basics. To truly target the high-end market and make serious money, we need to hold regular events, invite popular celebrities to make appearances, and upgrade our drink menu. If we do all this, I believe our bar will quickly become the best in Jinling City, and perhaps even one of the top-ranked in the country!"

Lin Xiao had to admit, the kid knew his stuff. His suggestions sounded simple, but they were anything but. With such flashy tactics, the bar was bound to become popular.

Su Qingning remained silent.

Yang Fan pressed his advantage. "Ms. Su, the grand opening today was actually a poor start. If we could have invited a few big-name celebrities, our bar would have definitely become an overnight success!"

Su Qingning's gaze shifted to Lin Xiao. The moment their eyes met, she seemed to be asking for his opinion.

Lin Xiao smiled. "Honey, you're the boss in this family. If you think it's a good idea, then let's do it."

"But I want to hear your opinion," Su Qingning said softly.

Lin Xiao grinned. "My opinion? Let's skip all the flashy stuff. Things are fine just the way they are."

Su Qingning was taken aback.

Yang Fan, however, suddenly let out a cold laugh.

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