Dividing the Pork

"I'll go upstairs to change clothes first."

Before Jiang Yunlu even finished her sentence, she had already fled upstairs like a startled deer, her footsteps pattering against the stairs.

In the living room, Lin Mo leisurely walked back.

In front of the premium golden thread nanmu tea table, Situ Yunshu and Situ Qiong had already taken their seats peacefully. Boiling water washed over the purple clay teapot, and wisps of white mist rose gracefully, carrying the fragrance of tea.

The Situ family didn't have many special pastimes; brewing tea was one of them.

It made sense that Jiang Chengshan's tea room had been moved directly into the living room.

"Come, Lin Mo, make yourself at home," Situ Yunshu said, her voice gentle and graceful. At first glance, one would mistake her for a lady of peerless elegance.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Lin Mo did not decline. He sat directly across from Situ Yunshu, his movements natural and completely devoid of awkwardness.

It wasn't exactly awkward, but rather a feeling of not quite knowing what to do.

Just as he was thinking this, the door to the upstairs study opened.

Jiang Chengshan, with his hands behind his back, strolled down the stairs at a leisurely, measured pace. Jiang Yeqiu followed closely behind him.

This was Jiang Yeqiu's first time seeing Situ Yunshu. The moment his eyes fell upon her, his breath caught for half a beat.

What a magnificently beautiful woman.

He marveled inwardly, but didn't dare show a hint of it on his face. He only dared to quickly scan the expressions of everyone in the living room from the corner of his eye, trying to piece together the full picture of the current situation.

"Oh, you finally decided to come down?"

Others might not know, but how could she not? This great Chairman Jiang had probably stayed up there on purpose for ages, only coming down when he couldn't stall any longer.

"What do you mean 'decided to'? I was busy upstairs reviewing the final details of the acquisition plan."

Jiang Chengshan replied stubbornly, though his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Lin Mo.

Following behind, Jiang Yeqiu's heart skipped a beat when he heard the word "acquisition."

So it really was about that.

Tianyun Century Group's move to swallow up the Zhou Corporation was no longer a secret in their circles.

His own head office was also a player on this chessboard, but as a mere branch director, he wasn't privy to the specific details.

Lin Mo nonchalantly raised a hand to greet Jiang Chengshan.

"Uncle Jiang must have had a great feast this time. I heard from Liu Zheng that you've acquired all of the Zhou Corporation's core industries. But remember what we said: no massive layoffs, otherwise it'll be hard for them to explain."

The way he spoke sounded less like a discussion and more like a formal notification.

And yet, Jiang Chengshan surprisingly accepted this tone.

Even though he found this kid Lin Mo a hundred times displeasing to the eye, he truly owed him a massive favor this time, so he could only bite the bullet and reply:

"I know! I won't mess around. I've already communicated with them."

Listening from the side, Jiang Yeqiu's eyelids twitched violently.

Just what exactly was Lin Mo's background?

Watching them chat so casually, for some reason, Jiang Yeqiu felt a sense of intimidation.

Right at that moment, light footsteps echoed from the stairs.

Jiang Yeqiu abruptly turned his head, and an emerald green figure caught his eye.

Jiang Yunlu had changed into an emerald green silk dress. As she walked, the hem of the dress swayed like rippling spring water.

She walked right past him, bringing with her a faint, elusive fragrance.

Jiang Yeqiu perked up and hastily spoke, his voice ringing out a bit louder than before.

"Long time no see, Miss Yunlu. You've become even more beautiful."

It was a very standard, and very boring, compliment.

Jiang Yunlu stopped in her tracks and turned her head at the sound, a hint of confusion in her bright eyes.

She carefully observed Jiang Yeqiu for several seconds, her brows furrowing slightly as if trying hard to search the corners of her memory for something.

Finally, realization dawned on her.

"Ah, you are... Young Mr. Jiang?"

She tilted her head, her tone carrying a bit of uncertainty. "Indeed, it has been a long time."

"Young Mr. Jiang?"

The smile on Jiang Yeqiu's face froze instantly.

He remembered that in the past, Jiang Yunlu used to directly call him Big Brother Jiang.

"Phew! I'm just glad Miss Yunlu remembers me."

Jiang Yunlu smiled and nodded. Lifting the hem of her skirt, her steps as light as a fawn's, she walked straight over and sat down right next to Lin Mo without the slightest hesitation.

That undisguised intimacy caused the air in the room to quiet down for a moment.

The brows that Jiang Chengshan had just relaxed instantly knitted together into a tight knot again.

He glanced at his daughter, then glared at Lin Mo with a look that seemed as if he wanted to eat the boy alive.

The smile at the corners of Jiang Yeqiu's mouth froze completely, and the muscles under his skin twitched uncontrollably a couple of times.

It was just that he... felt like he didn't have a chance anymore.

Staying any longer would only be inviting humiliation.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging unwillingness in his heart, and forced out a polite smile. "Uncle Jiang, since you have a guest at home, I won't intrude any longer."

Jiang Chengshan didn't feign any attempt to make him stay. This kid had good situational awareness, which saved him the trouble of asking him to leave.

"Mm, alright. Let's talk next time. I hope the next time I see you, you'll have taken another step forward in your career!"

The words sounded like encouragement, yet also like a mild warning.

"Thank you for your kind words, Uncle Jiang."

After speaking, he said his goodbyes and left.

Situ Qiong acted on their behalf to see the guest out.

Jiang Chengshan leaned back slightly against the sofa, staring at Lin Mo with a burning gaze.

"That kid just now, do you know which company he works for?"

The question came fast and direct, carrying a hint of a test.

Lin Mo picked up his teacup, blew on the hot steam, and didn't even lift his eyelids. "He's likely from Chu Lintian's side."

"Oh?" Jiang Chengshan sat up straighter, clearly somewhat surprised. "You could tell even that?"

Lin Mo set down his teacup and finally looked up at him, his eyes holding a hint of amusement.

"Uncle Jiang, please. Other than you, the only business circle I know of is the Dajiang Group, isn't it?"

Jiang Chengshan opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless.

The logic was simple and crude, yet damnably correct.

Jiang Chengshan suddenly felt like his IQ had gone offline.

To save a bit of face, he gave a dry cough and forcibly changed the subject:

"Let's talk business. We really have you to thank for this time. Otherwise, we truly wouldn't have been able to chew through a tough bone like the Zhou Corporation."

"Zhou Nianqian was just courting death. Originally, I only told the Yanhuang Awakening folks to investigate them. I never expected he would kick the whole Zhou family out of their nest himself."

As they were talking, Situ Yunshu stretched out her leg and gave Jiang Chengshan a kick.

"Stop talking so much and go cook. Lin Mo just came up and hasn't even had a bite to eat yet. How can you let that happen?"

Jiang Chengshan winced in pain. In front of his wife, whatever majestic authority he had as the head of the household vanished instantly.

"If it's that urgent, I'll just have someone prepare the food and send it over. After all, I didn't prep any ingredients this morning, and you mother and daughter have been eating way too much lately."

It truly wasn't that Jiang Chengshan didn't want to cook; the house simply didn't have many ingredients prepared.

With Jiang Yunlu's training, her appetite had gradually increased.

Hearing this, Jiang Yunlu couldn't help but glare at her father.

She then turned to look at Lin Mo. "Actually..."

"Eating more is good. It's good for your health, and good for your development."

"Hmph! I'll hit you!"