Chapter 20: Steady Development And Going To Shanghai

December 6th, 12:05.

A major traffic accident in Wucheng: the collapse of Jinmen Bridge. This was a major event deeply imprinted in his memories from his previous life.

That night, what he whispered to Gate God Jiang was, “December 6th, at midnight, under Jinmen Bridge. Fight to the death, don’t miss it. The feng shui is good that night — beneficial for funerals and burial rites.”

After it happened, not only outsiders but even Su Wenwen looked at him oddly, with a face that wanted to ask questions but held them back.

Zhang Wanbao, the person taking over Pleasure Forest, even came by to exchange a few pleasantries. Only after seeing Su Pingnan uninterested did he return to run the business with peace of mind.

After all, everyone assumed it was the work of the Little Red Robe, and that in itself was terrifying. What scared people more was how seamless the whole thing was. Who could hear that and not shudder in fear? 37 lives vanished without even a ripple.

There were ups and downs. The good news was Su Pingnan’s restructuring and acquisition of other assets went extremely smoothly. The troublesome taxi operators re-signed contracts and paid fees decisively, and his new restaurant, named Jinxiu Pavilion, was also set up without trouble.

The bad news was simply that his reputation sounded worse — which Su Pingnan didn’t care about. He believed that time would prove his character.

Li Changhai was also frightened and even had someone deliver a calligraphy piece with the words Jinxiu Qiancheng (a magnificent future ahead) allegedly written by a famous master. Su Pingnan knew Hainan would have a major crash next year, so he wasn’t in a hurry to bring Li Changhai down. He was content to focus on his own company’s development for the moment, so for a time, both sides were calm.

After Li Mingyi was released from prison, his budget was extremely tight. Even though he had been imprisoned for a policy mistake, the money couldn’t be returned.

He was already almost fifty, but he had to make a living collecting scrap with a tricycle every day. His life, though simple, was fairly decent.

That evening, as soon as Li Mingyi returned home, his son dragged him into a corner. His son, looking anxious, asked if he had offended some big figure in the underworld. But Li Mingyi gave his son a wry smile and shook his head.

“What kind of person could a scrap collector like me possibly offend?”

His son, Li Dawei, couldn’t hide his nervousness and said Su Wenwen had come to their home today and said he had business with him.

“Su Wenwen?” Li Mingyi was even more confused — he’d never heard of this person.

Li Dawei leaned closer to his father, looked around, and lowered his voice to say in a secretive manner, “You know about that guy named Little Red Robe? The one who got Gate God Jiang killed?”

Li Mingyi nodded. After his release, it was hard not to know about that person. Su Pingnan was now one of Wucheng’s most prominent figures.

“Su Wenwen is his right hand man, so I’m sure it’s Little Red Robe who’s looking for you,” Li Dawei said, thinking his father might be involved in things he didn’t know about.

Dong dong dong! Someone was banging on the shabby iron door of the house.

“Old man, run out the back — I won’t tell, even if I die,” Li Dawei urged, panicking.

Li Mingyi shook his head — he hadn’t raised this kid for nothing. He sifted through recent events in his mind, then calmly shook his head at his son and said firmly, “Go open the door.”

Su Pingnan was already standing before the father and son, carrying two bottles of Maotai. He smiled and said, “I’m not a bad guest. I heard Mr. Li likes to drink, so I brought two bottles said to be 1985 Maotai. I brought them here for you to try them and tell me if they’re real, so I won’t get swindled by those bootleg liquor boys.”

Su Pingnan wasn’t fussy. He actually sat cross-legged on Li Mingyi’s floor and drank late into the night.

At first Li Mingyi was resistant and uninterested in Su Pingnan’s attempt at making friends with him. Though Su Pingnan’s words were obviously about his old life and hinted at the reason why he went to jail, the old man had been frightened by reality.

“Old master, my reputation isn’t good, but that’s all rumors from others. Likewise, you aren’t greedy or violent, yet your reputation isn’t that great either, is it?”

Taking a sip, Su Pingnan watched the old man’s reaction. Through hints and probing, he found that the old man truly had some genuine qualities — advanced ideas about management and finance. So Su Pingnan was willing to speak at length.

“In the future, the power of money will exceed your imagination. Those who act righteously are often lowly. I’m a farmer boy who’s made it this far, so I won’t treat you poorly in the future.”

Seeing Li Mingyi was somewhat tempted, Su Pingnan excused himself early. Li Mingyi remained immersed in Su Pingnan’s words, so Li Dawei escorted Su Pingnan out. When he saw the two imposing black SUVs at the door and Su Wenwen and several black-clad men standing at attention, he marveled at Su Pingnan’s aura and couldn’t help but think that it would be good for his old man to work for Su Pingnan.

The next morning, Li Mingyi appeared at the office door, well shaven and dressed in faded clothing. Su Pingnan threw his head back and laughed, then immediately clasped Li Mingyi’s hands tightly.

“The office was all set up yesterday.”

Once Li Mingyi took over, his rich experience immediately showed. Su Pingnan had Su Wenwen and others take turns coming back to learn, to lay the groundwork for their future.

After arranging everything, Su Pingnan found himself unexpectedly at ease. He really couldn’t accept the designs the Wucheng designers had proposed. Renovating Jinxiu Pavilion was an important project and it would decide whether the place would become a hit or not. Su Pingnan simply decided to make a trip to Shanghai — after all, it was the gathering place for the most cutting-edge talent in the whole country now.