Chapter 155: The White‑Eyed Wolf Comes to Demand Money

"I think it's more than just probing," Jiang Ran sneered, "both in and out of his words he hints he knows some inside information, and even says, 'A tall tree draws wind; beware of people with ulterior motives who set traps.'"

"I asked him what it meant, and he laughed it off, saying it was just a reminder to an old acquaintance."

"A weasel paying New Year's respects to a chicken," Su Ruan concluded, "Did he hear about the Incubation Park and think there's profit to be made, or perhaps he wants to cause trouble?"

"Both are possible." Jiang Ran's eyes were sharp, "That kid's heart is not in the right place. He acted that way toward Su Yanhua before; now that he's looking at us, who knows what nonsense he's hiding."

"Daughter‑in‑law, we need to stay vigilant. I'll go tell my father later."

Su Ruan nodded, pondering, "He's now at the Education Bureau; although he has little real authority, he may have some connections."

"We'll follow our plan and do our own business, but be careful not to make big mistakes. Especially regarding contact with the Planning Office and future Incubation Park residency matters, keep the details off the record."

"Understood." Jiang Ran clenched his fist, "If he wants to cause trouble, he'll need the ability! We're no longer a little tailor shop for anyone to toy with."

Even so, Liu Wenbin's arrival was like a tiny dark cloud, briefly drifting over the bright sky of Chongsu.

However, before they could examine this cloud, a more direct, more thorny trouble knocked on the door.

The next morning, an uninvited guest entered the shop—Su Yaozu.

He wore a crumpled jacket, his hair greasy, eyes wandering; as soon as he stepped in, he looked around, and when he saw the freshly renovated interior and the pricey clothes on the racks, his eyes lit up briefly before he curled his lip.

"Sister, brother‑in‑law, are you busy?"

Su Yaozu forced a smile, fetched a chair for himself, and crossed his legs.

Douzi and Yaya recognized him, knew he wasn't a good person, and watched warily.

Jiang Ran stepped out from behind, saw him, his expression paling, "Yaozu? Anything?"

"Nothing major," Su Yaozu rubbed his hands, his eyes fixed behind the counter, "It's just… I heard our family—no, my sister here—has recently become prosperous? She's on magazines, about to enter some park? And that demolition compensation… wow, three buildings, impressive!"

Su Ruan also emerged from the design studio, her expression calm as she looked at the younger brother, "Yaozu, speak plainly."

Su Yaozu felt a bit uneasy under Su Ruan's clear, calm gaze, but greed still outweighed that discomfort.

He licked his lips, leaned forward, "Sister, you see, even though we're not blood siblings, we're still family; this breaks the bone but still connects the sinew."

"You're doing so well now; even a tiny leak between your fingertips is enough for your brother to feast and indulge."

"Lately… I'm really short on cash, partnering with a friend on a small venture, need some capital. Not much, just this amount," he held up three fingers and waved them.

Three hundred? Or three thousand? Judging by his demeanor, probably three thousand.

Jiang Ran chuckled, "Su Yaozu, your sister's money came from the wind? When she was opening the shop, working from dawn to dusk drawing designs, where were you?"

"When she was bullied, when the shop was inspected, where were you? Now you see the benefits, realize she's your sister?"

Jiang Ran! Cut the act here! This is a matter between me and my sister!

"Sister, you can't forget your natal family just because you have money! Our parents raised you to this size with effort, right? I'm in a bind now; can you, as my sister, just ignore it?"

The same old routine.

Su Ruan felt no ripple in her heart.

She looked at Su Yaozu's self‑righteous, demanding expression and slowly said, "You're already an adult; you should learn to take responsibility for yourself."

"What is your small business? Exactly how much money do you need? Do you have a business plan? If it's reasonable, I can lend you, but we need a loan note, interest at bank rates, and scheduled repayment."

Her tone was calm, yet carried an uncompromising principle.

Su Yaozu was dumbfounded.

He had no business plan; he just lost money gambling, heard rumors about demolition and the Incubation Park, and wanted to swindle a sum.

"A loan note? Interest? Scheduled repayment?"

That's completely different from his idea of taking it for free!

"Sister! You… how can you be so cold‑blooded! I'm your brother!"

"Precisely because you're my brother, I can't watch you go astray," Su Ruan's tone turned cold, "If you truly want to do things properly, bring sincerity and a plan."

"If you only want the money to squander, sorry, not a single cent will be given."

"Fine! Fine, Su Ruan! You've climbed the high branch, eyes on the top! You don't even recognize your own brother!" Su Yaozu pointed at Su Ruan's nose, "Don't be smug! You think no one knows how your money came? Wait and see!"

He cursed and slammed the door as he left.

The shop fell silent.

Douzi and Yaya dared not even breathe.

Jiang Ran walked to Su Ruan's side, slipped an arm around her shoulder, and whispered, "It's okay, daughter‑in‑law. Ignore that kind of scoundrel."

"I'm fine," she lifted her head, smiled at Jiang Ran, her smile faint yet resolute, "I just feel we need to move faster and more steadily."

"Only when we stand high enough do these noises become merely noise."

Jiang Ran squeezed her hand, nodding heavily, "Right! Not only will we enter the Incubation Park, we'll make Chongsu the brightest star in the district! Let everyone see we rely on real skill!"

A few days later, the Jiang Family's door was knocked by Qin Qin.

That night, Jiang Jianguo hadn't gone to sleep, was reading documents in the study, and frowned at the sound.

At that hour… he got up to open the door.

Standing outside was Gu Yanshen, wearing a dark coat, his shoulders damp with the cool night dew, his expression somewhat solemn.

"Uncle Jiang, sorry to disturb you so late. Have Ranran and RuanRuan slept? There's something I think I need to tell them right away."

Jiang Jianguo felt a chill in his heart, stepped aside to let him in, "They aren't, speak in the room. Come in."

Gu Yanshen's arrival prompted the resting Jiang Ran and Su Ruan to immediately come to the Main Hall.

Li Huijuan poured hot tea, Jiang Nainai also rose, sitting nearby, twirling Buddhist Beads in her hand.

"Yan Shen, what's happened?" Jiang Jiaojiao sat beside Gu Yanshen, her face full of worry.

Gu Yanshen took a sip of hot tea, dispelling some chill, then lowered his voice, "Before I left work today, I overheard two people in the courtyard discussing privately, mentioning our city's Incubation Park project and Su Ruan and Jiang Ran's shop."

Everyone's hearts lifted.

"What did they say?" Jiang Ran asked gravely.

"It was rather vague, but essentially, many people are eyeing this project; both the province and the city value it, and the profits are substantial."

Someone thinks that "Chongsu" being considered as the first batch to settle indicates a special relationship, even hinting… that it may involve Demolition Compensation.

Gu Yanshen's voice was steady, but every word of what he said was startling.

"They also mentioned that someone has already prepared a document to report the situation."

"Damn that crap!" Jiang Ran got so angry he almost slammed the table, but Su Ruan grabbed his hand and held it back.

Su Ruan's complexion also turned a bit pale, but her gaze was unusually calm: "Brother Gu, can you tell who is discussing this? Or roughly what kind of people they are?"