“Linhuai?” Liu Shanhua was stunned.
“Aren’t we planning a new branch there?”
His brows furrowed. “You mean…?”
“I had that location picked specifically—right next to Jiang Da’s new shop. Renovations should be done by now. You’ll take charge there personally. I don’t care what method you use, but within three months, I want Jiang Da completely defeated—his shop shut down and out of business!”
If he’s selling pancakes, then he should just stick to running his stall. What’s he doing opening branches like some big shot?
Does he even deserve that?
“Auntie,” Liu Shanhua said, confused, “things have already been settled. Why bother dragging this out? If he wants to open a branch, let him. We’re in F City, he’s in Linhuai—we can easily stay out of each other’s way…”
“Stay out of it?” Yu Shangmei sneered. “He blatantly came under my nose to poach people, and that’s what you call ‘staying out of it’? That’s a direct provocation!”
“But Cao Sanpang and the others were already going to be let go…”
“I don’t care!” she snapped coldly. “If they weren’t officially off the books, then they were still my people. If Jiang Da dared reach for them, it means he never saw me as someone to fear. If I don’t give him a lesson, I won’t be able to swallow this!”
Liu Shanhua frowned, not ready to agree.
Here in F City, at least he was a department manager. If he went to Linhuai, he’d at best be a store manager.
He’d be an idiot to agree.
Yu Shangmei clearly knew what he was thinking. Her tone softened, and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. “Shanhua, you came to work with me right after college. It’s been nearly ten years, hasn’t it? I’d like to think I haven’t treated you badly.”
Liu Shanhua lowered his gaze, voice modest and sincere: “Auntie, you’ve been very good to me. Without your guidance and support, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”
Yu Shangmei sighed softly. “You’ve always been capable. In some ways, even more so than Little Hai.”
Duan Hai—Yu Shangmei’s son with her ex-husband—was the same age as Liu Shanhua.
“All these years, you’ve endured a lot. I’ve noticed, and I’ve been thinking about how to give you a proper place.”
Liu Shanhua’s eyes flickered subtly.
Yu Shangmei smiled. “If you can handle Jiang Da cleanly, Auntie promises—once you return, I’ll immediately call a board meeting and recommend you as CEO of our Asia-Pacific branch. You’ll oversee the Southeast Asian market, with full decision-making power—no need to report to Little Hai anymore.”
That was basically the modern equivalent of a powerful regional governor.
Sure, the Southeast Asia market wasn’t necessarily a goldmine, but the authority and autonomy? That alone was enough to make Liu Shanhua’s heart pound.
He’d been stifled long enough, working under Duan Hai—someone less capable than him.
If this chance was real…
“Alright. I’ll do it.”
Yu Shangmei’s stiff posture finally relaxed as she leaned back in her chair. “That’s more like it. Auntie will be waiting for your good news.”
Liu Shanhua lowered his eyes, his voice calm: “You asked me last time to look into the relationship between Jiang Da and Wang Chengyang…”
“And?”
“There’s nothing between them. One’s based in the capital, the other’s been in Linhuai for years. No prior connection.”
“No connection?! Then why did Wang Chengyang step in to help Cao Sanpang and the others?”
Liu Shanhua shook his head. “No idea.”
“Did you even investigate thoroughly?!”
His brow furrowed slightly. “If you don’t trust me, you can send someone else.”
Yu Shangmei realized her tone was too harsh. She glanced at her nephew, who stood silently in front of her desk, and slowly exhaled. “Sorry. I was too anxious.”
…
The next day, Liu Shanhua packed his bags and flew to Linhuai.
After checking into a nearby hotel, he went straight to the new branch said to be located next to Jiang Ji’s shop. Renovations were complete.
It was done in Cao Ji’s usual style, but the space was cramped, and the lighting poor. It was obvious they’d compromised on quality to get a location close enough to challenge Jiang Ji.
To Liu Shanhua, the whole thing felt like a joke.
Cao Ji had grown into a full-fledged company with established systems. Opening new branches should’ve involved standard procedures—target market analysis, layered discussions, testing, and decision-making by a team.
But here they were, throwing up a branch based on nothing but the boss’s grudge—pure emotional warfare, no different from a petty street squabble.
Liu Shanhua shook his head.
For the first time, he questioned if all these years toiling away under others at Cao Ji had been worth it.
“Hey, handsome! Want to check out our menu? We’re opening the day after tomorrow!” A cheerful, college-aged girl walked up and handed him a flyer.
Liu Shanhua’s eyes moved slightly. “Jiang Ji?”
“Yup! You’ve heard of us? Did you see us in the Super Topic on Weibo?”
“You have a Super Topic?”
“Of course! We’ve got millions of fans and billions of views.”
“Wow. Impressive.”
“Just wait until we open this branch—it’s going to get even crazier. Don’t believe me? Watch and see!”
“Oh? That confident?”
“I believe in Uncle Jiang’s cooking—it’s just so good! Slurp~”
As she spoke, her eyes sparkled and she practically drooled on the spot.
