☜The Magical City☞
»» The Shin Family Home
There was a group of people gathered around a table filled with various dishes. On the right side of the table sat a slender man with yellow hair, around 50 years old, alongside a young man with blonde hair. Opposite them sat a plump man with blonde hair, approximately 45 years old, and at the head of the table was an elderly woman with white hair, about 76 years old. This woman was Shin Nan, the head of the Shin family.
Shin Nan turned to the plump man and asked in a calm yet firm tone, "Where is Shin Haner?" The plump man, Shin Yu, responded, "Mother, she said she's on her way here with Yu Zan."
"Alright, we'll wait a bit. By the way, Shin Min, how is your partnership with the Jo Company going?"
Shin Min replied confidently, "I have carefully prepared my plan and will present it to them. I'm sure the offer will be accepted. Don't worry, Grandma."
Shin Nan smiled with pride and said, "Very good, that's my grandson!" At that moment, the door opened, and two people entered. One was an attractive woman with blackish-blonde hair, and the other was an average-built young man with black hair. The woman stepped forward confidently and spoke in an apologetic tone, "Hello, Grandma, I'm sorry for being late."
Shin Min wasted no time and interrupted with disdain: "Humph, making your grandmother wait, shame on you, Shin Haner."
The young man, Yu Zan, defended his wife, saying, "The car broke down on the way, so we had to take a taxi."
"Humph, don't you ever have a decent car? … Oh, sorry, I forgot you're just a housekeeper, and you can't afford a car. I feel sorry for you, dear cousin, for marrying a failure. If you had married Hin Rao, it would have been better for you and for us."
Shin Haner immediately felt ashamed upon hearing those words. She hadn't married Yu Zan by choice; she was forced into the marriage by her grandfather, who claimed it would bring glory to their family. But since marrying him, which lasted for nearly three years, Yu Zan had done nothing but clean and cook at home. She tried to persuade him to find a job, but he didn't. Even her parents, Shin Yu and his wife Shin Yi, were disgusted by him and treated him like a servant in the house.
In the Magical City, his reputation had plummeted among second- and third-tier families, as it became known that his wife worked to support him. Shin Haner lifted her head and looked at Shin Min, saying coldly, "It's none of your business who I marry. If you love Hin Rao so much, you can marry him yourself."
Shin Min was immediately enraged and started shouting, "You…"
But before he could finish, Shin Nan's stern voice interrupted, "Alright, that's enough. Sit down, everyone, let's discuss the family's affairs."
"Yes, Grandma." everyone said in unison.
Shin Haner sat down next to her father, and Yu Zan quietly took the seat beside her. Then, Shin Nan spoke again, "So, how are the company's affairs?"
The slender man, Shin Ri, Shin Min's father, responded, "Grandma, we are on the brink of bankruptcy. We only have 200 million won left, which can only fund one project."
Shin Yu stood up and spoke with a worried tone, "Also, we're two months behind on paying the employees' salaries."
A heavy silence fell over the room after hearing this troubling news. Shin Nan gripped her cane a little tighter, then asked seriously, "Is there any solution to this problem?"
Both Shin Haner and Shin Min spoke at the same time, "Grandma, if Jo Company agrees to a partnership with us, we can achieve financial balance." ×2
Shin Nan looked at her granddaughter and asked, "Shin Haner, have you prepared your plan to negotiate with Jo Company?"
Shin Haner replied enthusiastically, "Yes, Grandma. I had a chance to meet them today, and I believe they will contact me soon."
"Very good."
She then turned to Shin Min and asked, "What about you, Shin Min?"
"Well, I've scheduled a meeting with them for tomorrow."
"Good, whoever succeeds in this matter will be the next heir to the family."
Both responded in unison, "Yes, Grandma." ×2
Yu Zan whispered to Shin Haner in a low voice, "Dear, I'm sure you'll win the position of heir."
But Shin Haner turned to him coldly and said, "Don't call me dear, and don't talk as if you're the one controlling Jo Company."
Yu Zan smiled confidently and spoke to himself: "True, I'm not the president of Jo Company, but I can command them to do what I want because I'm the heir of one of the hidden families, the Yu family, in the Magical City. This family can cover the sky with its influence. Wait, dear, only two days are left until the end of the five-year period, and then I can finally use my family's power…"
☜Shanghai☞
»» The Police Station
Kang Yu was sitting in her office when she received a call from her father. He spoke in a serious tone, "Dear, I found someone resembling Alex's description in the Magical City. I'll send you his file now with one of the servants."
"Alright, Dad."
Kang Yu closed the phone and sat in her chair, contemplating: "I hope this information about Alex is accurate."
As she was deep in thought, she heard a knock on the door. "Come in."
A man dressed in police uniform entered and spoke seriously: "Madam, we received information from an anonymous source about some drug deals and smuggling involving the Jiu family."
Kang Yu raised her eyebrows in surprise and said, "The Jiu family?"
"Yes, Madam."
Kang Yu quickly began to think. "Isn't this family one of Lin Fan's strongest allies? If this is true, it would be good to catch them now and weaken Lin Fan's power. But in the past life, this fact wasn't discovered until after Shun Zui destroyed their family. Could she be the one who did this? But what's the reason? Could it be the butterfly effect? Well, it doesn't matter, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."
Then she issued her orders: "Prepare all forces and get ready to head to the Jiu family's residence."
"Yes, Madam."
----
In one of the newspaper offices, there was an atmosphere of anticipation. The editor-in-chief spoke excitedly: "Sir, we received information from an anonymous source about some drug deals and smuggling conducted by the Jiu family, and the police are on their way to arrest them."
His boss replied with excitement: "Really? Then what are you waiting for? Hurry to the scene, we must be the first to publish this news!"
»» Xun Zui's Residence
Xun Zui was sitting in her luxurious mansion when she received a call from one of her assistants. "Madam, we have sold all our shares in the Jiu family."
Xun Zui smiled and said calmly, "Good. Have you leaked the information to the police and the press?"
"Yes, Madam. The police are on their way to their residence."
"Alright. Send some people to the major shareholders in the Jiu Company to buy their assets after their stock drops. If they refuse, you can threaten them."
"Yes, Madam."
Xun Zui closed her phone, looked up at the sky with satisfaction, and muttered, "How beautiful it feels to crush insects..."