"Yanyan, I heard the shop is having some trouble recently?"
In the Jiang family villa, Jiang Shan, seated at the head of the dining table, asked his daughter on his left.
His wife, sitting on his right, frowned slightly. "We agreed not to discuss business at home, Old Jiang. You said so yourself."
Chastised by his wife, Jiang Shan chuckled sheepishly, but his gaze remained fixed on his daughter.
Jiang Yan had taken over the shop and was very busy every day.
However, no matter how busy she was, unless it was something important and unavoidable, she would return home on time to have dinner with her parents.
For her, nothing in this world was more important than family.
Hearing her father inquire about the shop, she smiled slightly and said it was nothing, telling her father not to worry.
Jiang Shan wanted to ask a few more questions, but his wife was already glaring at him. Feeling a bit of a henpecked husband, Jiang Shan immediately put his hand over his mouth and made a zipping gesture.
The family ate their meal with concentration, and the atmosphere returned to warmth and harmony.
After dinner, just as the housekeeper cleared the table, someone rushed into the villa.
"Xiaokai, how old are you, and you're still so clumsy!"
The person who had just run in was Jiang Yan's cousin, Xu Kai, her uncle's son.
Although he was a few years older than Jiang Yan, he had always been a bit of a slacker. Therefore, when Jiang Yan took over the shop, she had planned to deal with him first.
Later, her mother found out privately and pleaded with Jiang Yan to spare him for her sake.
Jiang Yan, not wanting to upset her mother, arranged a leisurely position for Xu Kai.
She had also warned her mother beforehand that if Xu Kai did anything out of line, she wouldn't be polite.
So, seeing Xu Kai rush into the villa, Jiang Yan's mother chided him somewhat impatiently.
Although she had privately cautioned Xu Kai, she knew her daughter's character and that she kept her word, which was why she had acted as she did.
"Uncle, Aunt, something big has happened! Something big has happened! I just heard from a friend outside that that guy, Zhou Dacheng, is going to burn down our warehouse!"
"What? Burn down our warehouse?!"
Xu Kai's words shocked Jiang Shan and his wife.
"Xiaokai, who told you? In broad daylight, how could anyone do such an illegal and criminal thing!"
Jiang Shan's wife recovered and assumed Xu Kai was exaggerating.
Jiang Shan, however, turned his gaze to his daughter.
In fact, he had heard from the shop employees for the past couple of days that someone had come to cause trouble and had even injured someone.
But since Jiang Shan had promised to hand over all matters of the shop to his daughter, he hadn't asked further, believing she would handle everything properly.
However, now that Xu Kai was saying someone intended to burn down their shop's warehouse, it was difficult for Jiang Shan not to be moved. He then connected it to what he had heard earlier.
"Aunt, this news is absolutely true. That guy Zhou Dacheng is a desperate criminal. We can't afford to provoke someone like him. Cousin, the shop staff told me he came asking for protection money. You should just consider it a loss to avoid trouble. There's no need to deal with someone like him..."
Before Xu Kai could finish, Jiang Yan interrupted him.
A trace of displeasure flashed across her clear face, and she said, "Cousin, what you're saying is wrong. Why should I indulge these gangsters who extort protection money? Don't worry, I've already reported it to the police. If this guy dares to act rashly, he'll be brought to justice!"
Xu Kai knew his cousin's personality well and knew he couldn't persuade her.
So he shifted his focus to Jiang Yan's mother.
"Aunt, please persuade my cousin. Tell her not to be so stubborn. That guy Zhou Dacheng is notorious in the underworld. Last year, I heard about a big businessman who offended him, and his entire family was ruined. Later, two of his subordinates surrendered, but he was completely fine."
"Besides, cousin, even if you report it to the police, can they provide you with twenty-four-hour protection every single day of the year? If you slip up one day, you'll regret it forever!"
Upon hearing Xu Kai's words, Jiang Yan's mother's face changed.
"Yanyan, Xiaokai is right. We absolutely must not argue with those desperate individuals. Those people have nothing to lose. If they get truly desperate and decide to take you down with them, it will be a disaster."
To Jiang Yan's mother, she was just a housewife who didn't understand business. All she knew was that her family's safety was paramount.
Jiang Shan also spoke up, "Yanyan, what exactly is going on? Now that your cousin has said so much, you should explain things clearly, otherwise everyone will be worried."
Having been in business for so many years, Jiang Shan had naturally experienced countless storms and had even been coerced by violent means.
But when the same thing happened to his daughter, Jiang Shan couldn't remain calm and composed.
Seeing her parents and Xu Kai all staring intently at her, Jiang Yan knew she couldn't stay silent any longer.
So, she slowly recounted what had happened at the shop that day.
To prevent Jiang Shan and the others from worrying too much, Jiang Yan deliberately omitted the fact that someone had been injured at the shop, only saying that someone had come to collect protection money.
"Cousin, how come I heard that someone in the shop was seriously injured and hospitalized?"
As soon as Jiang Yan finished speaking, Xu Kai followed up immediately.
Before she could glare fiercely at Xu Kai, she was met with stern gazes from her parents.
Since she couldn't hide it anymore, Jiang Yan finally admitted, "Yes, I admit that someone was injured. But I didn't want you to worry. Besides, this is a society ruled by law. We absolutely cannot bow down to such evil forces! Otherwise, they will become more and more unscrupulous!"
Jiang Shan actually agreed somewhat with his daughter's words. When he was younger, he had also been extorted.
These people from the underworld had no sense of honor. In their eyes, only money mattered.
For money, they were capable of doing unimaginable things, devoid of any bottom line or morality.
Seeing her father's expression soften slightly, Jiang Yan continued, "Dad, since you said you would entrust the shop entirely to me, you should trust and support me. This time..."
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Before Jiang Yan could finish speaking, she was interrupted by an urgent phone call.
Just as she was about to fully convince her parents, she pressed the mute button and didn't answer.
However, as she was about to continue speaking, the phone rang again.
Helpless, she had no choice but to answer.
"What?"
"The warehouse was set on fire?"
"Don't rush! I'll be there immediately!"
After speaking, Jiang Yan didn't even bother with her equally shocked parents sitting opposite her.
She only managed to tell Xu Kai beside her to take care of her parents and that they would discuss anything else upon her return before rushing out.