On the back mountain of Wangpo Village.
Cai Xiaoqiang lay on the ground like a dead man, motionless, but his eyes were filled with despair and his face twisted in pain.
A trickle of blood flowed from his left wrist, revealing stark white bone.
"Boss, do you have any other instructions?" Lü Shaguang asked respectfully, his head bowed.
He had naturally started calling Jiang Feng "Boss" because it felt more fitting.
Jiang Feng stood with his hands behind his back, glanced at Cai Xiaoqiang, and said, "That will be all for now."
"Understood," Lü Shaguang responded, stepping aside.
Jiang Feng walked up to Cai Xiaoqiang and asked, "How does it feel? Does it hurt?"
Cai Xiaoqiang weakly replied, "Yes, it hurts... a lot..."
"Good, pain is a sign you're still alive. So, do you want to live?" Jiang Feng asked.
Live?
What did he mean?
Was Jiang Feng going to kill him?
Cai Xiaoqiang's pupils contracted, and his heart pounded.
"W-what do you mean?" Cai Xiaoqiang asked nervously.
"I mean, I want you dead," Jiang Feng said coldly.
His eyes, like those of the Grim Reaper, bore into Cai Xiaoqiang, plunging him into endless fear.
"No, no, I don't want to die. You've already crippled one of my hands. Please, spare my life, I beg you..." Cai Xiaoqiang knew Jiang Feng wasn't joking. He endured the pain, propped himself up, and knelt before Jiang Feng, knocking his head on the ground until it bled.
He now truly realized how naive he had been. In front of Jiang Feng, he was nothing but a child, easily manipulated and powerless to resist.
"I can spare your life, but you'll have to give up everything you have in exchange," Jiang Feng said.
"Everything!" Cai Xiaoqiang was stunned. That meant he would be left with nothing.
He hesitated. What was more important, his life or his possessions?
Jiang Feng didn't rush him, allowing him to think it over.
After an intense internal struggle, Cai Xiaoqiang made his choice. He chose to live because only by living could he hold on to hope.
"Alright, I'll give up everything to save my life," Cai Xiaoqiang said.
"Good. You'll be grateful for this decision," Jiang Feng said. "Now, let Lü Shaguang and the others follow you and transfer all your assets to me, including the factory. I'll take over."
Cai Xiaoqiang sighed helplessly and lowered his head. There was no turning back now; he could only accept his fate.
At least he was still alive.
"Lü Shaguang, go with him and make sure everything is done properly. Then call me, and I'll come for the handover," Jiang Feng ordered.
"Yes," Lü Shaguang replied, then looked at Cai Xiaoqiang with a hint of sarcasm. "Let's go, Boss Cai."
Lü Shaguang signaled to Tiger and the bearded man, who immediately restrained Cai Xiaoqiang and led him down the mountain.
Watching them leave, Jiang Feng smiled. "Phew, pretending to be profound is really exhausting. I'm so young, yet I have to act all mature. But what can I do? I've lived for five hundred years."
With five centuries of experience, he couldn't act flamboyant even if he wanted to. The youthful exuberance was long gone, replaced by a deep sense of weariness.
The only consolation was that he still had a youthful and vigorous body to carry him forward.
The reason he seized Cai Xiaoqiang's assets today was something he had planned the night before.
It was all to give his parents a better life.
His father was unemployed and could take over the factory. As an experienced worker there, he would manage it well.
His mother could assist him, giving her something to do.
This way, his parents wouldn't have to worry about their future.
And Jiang Feng could pursue his own path with peace of mind.
That was Jiang Feng's current plan.
Leaving the back mountain, Jiang Feng returned home, where his parents were both present.
"Dad, Mom, I have something to discuss with you," Jiang Feng said.
"Oh? What is it?" Jiang Jianjun asked.
"It's like this. I plan to take over a business. Would you be willing to manage it?" Jiang Feng got straight to the point.
"Take over a business?" Jiang Jianjun was stunned. "Little Feng, are you feeling unwell, or is your head hurting?"
Jiang Jianjun naturally didn't believe Jiang Feng and thought he was ill.
"Yeah, are you feeling unwell? Tell Mom if something's wrong. You came back talking nonsense," Zhang Mei said anxiously, touching Jiang Feng's forehead.
"Dad, Mom, I'm not talking nonsense. I'm serious. I'm really taking over a business," Jiang Feng said with a bitter smile.
He couldn't blame his parents. This was so sudden that no one would easily believe it.
Just then, Jiang Feng's phone rang. It was Lü Shaguang.
Jiang Feng answered, "Hello, how's it going?"
"Everything's done, Boss. We're waiting for you at the factory," Lü Shaguang said.
"Good. Have Tiger drive Cai Xiaoqiang's car to pick me up," Jiang Feng instructed.
"Alright, I'll have Tiger come over right away," Lü Shaguang replied.
Jiang Jianjun and Zhang Mei, listening to Jiang Feng's conversation, were puzzled. They heard Cai Xiaoqiang's name and wondered what it had to do with him.
No matter how they questioned Jiang Feng, he only said they would find out soon.
Soon, Tiger arrived in Cai Xiaoqiang's black sedan and parked in front of the house.
Jiang Feng said, "Dad, Mom, let's go. There will be a surprise."
Jiang Jianjun and Zhang Mei exchanged glances, curious to see what their son was up to.
Tiger got out of the car and respectfully opened the door for Jiang Feng and his parents.
Jiang Jianjun and Zhang Mei were taken aback. They had never experienced such treatment. Having lived in poverty all their lives, they had long forgotten what it felt like to be respected.
Today, being treated this way made them feel uneasy.
As the car sped along, they arrived at Cai Xiaoqiang's factory.
When the car slowly drove into the factory, the workers and Lü Shaguang were already waiting on both sides of the road.
The car came to a steady stop. Jiang Feng got out first, then opened the door for his parents.
"Dad, Mom, we're here. This place is ours now," Jiang Feng said.
Jiang Jianjun looked around in a daze. He was so familiar with this place, having worked here for thousands of days and nights. Even if there were no feelings, there was a sense of nostalgia.
And these workers, many of them were his colleagues. The scenes of their hard work together were still vivid in his memory.
Now, these workers looked at him with a different gaze, one filled with envy and admiration.
They had been informed that a new factory manager would take over today.
They had expected some big boss to take over, but it turned out to be Jiang Jianjun's family, which surprised them greatly.
"Little Feng, you're not joking, right? Is this real?" Jiang Jianjun murmured.
"Dad, why would I joke at a time like this?" Jiang Feng smiled.
"Yes, Uncle, the Boss never lies. This is real. From now on, this factory is no longer Cai Xiaoqiang's; it's yours," Lü Shaguang said, stepping forward.
Jiang Jianjun was stunned. He looked at Lü Shaguang and then exclaimed, "Lü... Brother Guang, why are you here?"
"Oh, Uncle, please don't call me that. I can't bear it. Just call me Shaguang from now on. I'm just Jiang Feng's little brother now," Lü Shaguang said nervously.
"Huh?" Jiang Jianjun was completely confused. What was going on?
"Yes, Dad, just call him by his name from now on," Jiang Feng said. "And from now on, this factory belongs to our Jiang family."
At this point, Lü Shaguang shouted at Cai Xiaoqiang, "Hey, get over here. Do you need me to invite you?"
Cai Xiaoqiang hurried over, bowing and scraping. "Yes, this factory is now yours, and it has nothing to do with me."
Cai Xiaoqiang's left hand was already bandaged, wrapped in several layers of white cloth, but the red blood still seeped through, looking quite shocking.
"This, this, this..." Jiang Jianjun was at a loss and looked at Jiang Feng. "Little Feng, what's going on?"
"Dad, don't worry. Boss Cai here suddenly decided he didn't want to run the factory anymore. He wanted to retire and live a quiet life, so he found me and asked me to take over," Jiang Feng said, then looked at Cai Xiaoqiang. "Isn't that right, Boss Cai?"
"Yes, yes, that's right. I didn't want to run it anymore. It wasn't interesting. I begged you to take it over. Really, I'm sincere," Cai Xiaoqiang said quickly.
His words were obviously false, but they had to be taken as true for now.
Jiang Jianjun could tell as well.
But since Jiang Feng said so, there must be another reason, so he didn't press further. He was just worried that nothing bad would happen.
This seemed like a simple factory transfer, but if not handled well, it could cost lives.
"Little Feng, I don't know how you did it, but as I always say, I hope you don't do anything illegal," Jiang Jianjun said to Jiang Feng.
"Yes, I understand," Jiang Feng nodded.
"Little Feng, I think we shouldn't get involved in this. Something feels off, and I'm very uneasy," Zhang Mei said anxiously.
"Alright, Mei, let's leave it to Little Feng. He's grown up," Jiang Jianjun stopped Zhang Mei from saying more.
In Jiang Jianjun's view, no matter what Jiang Feng did, as his father, he should support him, even if it cost him his life.
Having lived a mediocre life, it was time to take a gamble.
Otherwise, life would be too stifling.
Zhang Mei said no more.
Yes, Little Feng had grown up, and they were old. It was time to stand behind Little Feng and find a warm haven.
This life had been too exhausting, filled with too many tangled and sorrowful memories...
Seeing his parents no longer nervous and confused, Jiang Feng felt relieved.
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"Cai Xiaoqiang, announce it to the factory workers now," Jiang Feng said.
Cai Xiaoqiang moved his lips, looked at the factory he had built with his own hands, and felt a deep sense of loss. Regardless of his character, this was his hard work.
One wrong move had led to a complete defeat.
He should never have provoked Jiang Feng. What he thought would be a simple venting of anger had plunged him into an abyss from which he could never escape.