Due to continuous pressure and payment demands from major banks and suppliers, Tianping’s cash flow became increasingly strained. Meanwhile, progress on several construction sites had been delayed to the point of being completely unsustainable. Although foundational work like the primary infrastructure utility connections (“three connections”) had already been completed, every single day lost at the construction sites consumed capital like water; if this continued, the financial shortfall would only grow wider.

At the same time, suppliers withheld goods and refused to ship, leaving half of Tianping’s store shelves empty, which further exacerbated the dire situation.

Under these circumstances, it was nearly impossible to transfer or sell Tianping shares. Everyone adopted a wait-and-see attitude, with no one willing to step in, take over the messy situation, or clear the debts. Jing Tianping’s shares truly risked turning into worthless paper.

Under immense pressure, Tianping Supermarket was left with only one viable option: let Fanhai Group step in to settle the debts and cover the financial hole. Tianping Supermarket lacked the capability to repay them, but Fanhai Group certainly had the resources to do so.

When Jing Hong received the phone call from his uncle, he was not surprised at all. Flipping through his desk calendar, he scheduled their meeting at the same Japanese restaurant where they had met previously—the very place where their last conversation had ended in failure and they had parted on bad terms. Back then, Jing Hong had poured his heart out to explain his difficulties, but it had accomplished nothing; his uncle had still kicked him while he was down, seeking to rally shareholders against Jing Hong at his most vulnerable moment to force him to abandon “Xianglong”.

Jing Hong was again the first to arrive. Shortly after he sat down, his uncle arrived as well.

Crossing his long legs, Jing Hong flipped through the menu and called the waiter over to take his order: “Grilled beef tongue, grilled fish, crab meat cream croquettes, and a bowl of ochazuke…”

Jing Tianping asked, “Aren’t you ordering any sashimi or raw fish?”

Jing Hong raised his eyes, offering a half-smile that was not quite a smile: “I don’t like raw food.”

“…” Jing Tianping remained silent.

“Speak,” Jing Hong took a sip of brown rice tea, asking knowingly, “What brings you here?”

“…” Jing Tianping cursed Jing Hong repeatedly in his mind, but kept a mild expression on the surface as he spoke warmly: “It’s still about that matter. As your uncle, I’m getting old and can’t handle all this stress anymore, so I want to transfer these shares in Tianping. I figures that Fanhai is naturally Tianping’s best option. For so many years, Fanhai has managed Tianping Supermarket exceptionally well, with vast resources, strong capabilities, and a deep understanding of Tianping that eliminates any need for an adjustment period or transition phase. If any other company acquired it, there would inevitably be a period of chaos. Both sides already have extensive cooperation, and on a strategic level, Tianping can also support Fanhai. Your father is my younger brother, and given this family bond, I naturally hope for a mutually beneficial outcome.”

Jing Hong nodded, set down his teacup, picked up an agreement sitting beside him, and tossed it directly across the table, saying: “Take a look at these terms. Fanhai Group will take over both equity and liabilities in a single transaction. If you agree, sign it.”

Regarding the price, Jing Hong had actually offered very generous terms based on a fair evaluation, without deliberately driving the price down. First, firing Yang Shuo, “abandoning” Wujie, and merging Tianping were all done out of consideration for Fanhai’s overall interest, as Jing Hong always maintained a professional approach toward business. Second, because Jing Tianping was still Jing Haiping’s biological older brother, Jing Hong did not want to push things to a point of no return. In the end, he had never owed anything to his uncle’s family, allowing him to stand tall with a clear conscience when he eventually met his ancestors in the afterlife.

To put it plainly, Jing Hong was not acting as a self-righteous saint; Fanhai would no longer lend its corporate reputation to “Tianping,” and whether Tianping Supermarket collapsed was entirely their own affair. However, Jing Hong was not taking advantage of the situation either, offering whatever fair amount was due—he had never mistreated Jing Tianping’s entire family.

Jing Tianping opened the document and scanned it, appearing quite surprised.

As the dishes were served one by one, Jing Hong shifted his posture, sliding his legs into the space under the table, straightening his back, picking up his chopsticks, and beginning to eat.

Jing Tianping read the agreement carefully word for word. After finishing, he remained silent for a long moment before finally saying: “There don’t seem to be any issues, but I’ll take it to my lawyer to review.”

Jing Hong nodded: “Once signed, hand it over to Mr. Zhao. You should have Zhao Hanqing’s contact details, right?”

Jing Tianping replied: “…Yes, I have them.”

Jing Hong uttered a quiet “Mhm” and said no more.

After a moment, Jing Tianping tucked the contract away, looked at Jing Hong, and said, “Then I won’t stay to eat. I’ll take my leave first.”

Jing Hong agreed once again: “See you.”

Thus, Jing Tianping put his shoes back on and left the private room, leaving Jing Hong sitting there alone once more.

However, his mindset was completely different this time.

The dust had officially settled.

Jing Hong felt no desire to revisit all the past right and wrong, as everything had come to an end.

Drinking his brown rice tea, Jing Hong raised his eyes again and looked for a while toward the sliding partition that Zhou Chang had drawn open last time. Back then, Zhou Chang had knocked on it before gently sliding it aside, revealing his rarely seen tall frame and handsome features wearing a slight smile. Instantly, the irritability and anxiety in Jing Hong’s heart had largely dissipated. Afterward, they had chatted for a bit—just casual banter, really—yet his mood had grown bright and pleasant.

Now, the partition was quiet and still. The room next door seemed to be occupied by a couple, both from the Jiangnan region, speaking soft sweet nothings in their low regional dialect. Though the words were muffled, the woman’s voice carried a gentle, delicate charm.

Jing Hong sat alone on his side, eating the ochazuke on his table and listening to the tender voices next door, with artificial cherry blossoms blooming overhead in the Japanese restaurant.

A rare moment of leisure.

Yet he spent this rare moment of leisure reminiscing and savoring the past.

……

As he ate, Jing Hong received a message from Zhou Chang: [Jing Tianping came to ask Qinghui for a loan.]

Jing Hong already knew how that attempt must have ended, but he still asked: [Did Qinghui lend it?]

This time, Zhou Chang switched to a voice message, his tone as deep and powerful as ever: “What do you think? Didn’t you already guess?”

With a subtle smile on his lips, Jing Hong held the phone close to his mouth, his warm breath fanning across it: “I had a fair guess.”

Perhaps picking up on the playful, teasing note in Jing Hong’s voice, Zhou Chang quickly replied with another message, his tone carrying a hint of mock pressure: “Jing Hong, do you feel like you have me wrapped around your finger? You knew long ago that Jing Tianping would try to borrow money from Qinghui, yet you didn’t say a single word. Did you just assume you could handle me? Just like when we agreed to open our ecosystems to each other?”

Hearing Zhou Chang’s words, Jing Hong paused, remaining silent.

Perhaps there was a bit of that.

In truth, Jing Hong believed that Zhou Chang’s decisions—both agreeing to “mutually open their ecosystems” and refusing Jing Tianping’s loan request—were made out of consideration for Qinghui Group’s interests.

Yet it was also true that Zhou Chang had no absolute necessity to agree to open the ecosystems at that time; Zhou Chang had genuinely lent Fanhai a hand.

Similarly, if he simply wanted to deal a blow to Fanhai, he could have granted Jing Tianping the loan. Jing Hong believed that as long as Zhou Chang was willing, he possessed the capabilities to help Tianping Supermarket safely weather the crisis without suffering any losses himself.

To win over a man like Zhou Chang—the sensation was almost captivating.

Ten-odd seconds later, before Jing Hong could reply, a new message arrived.

Jing Hong tapped it open, and Zhou Chang’s soft sigh played out: “You win. I really am wrapped around your finger.”