After the Divorce, I Unlocked a Perfect Life

It wasn’t long before their food arrived.

The fragrant aroma of the steak and rice whetted Zhou Jingliang’s appetite. After taking a bite, he couldn’t help but exclaim, "Holy shit, this is incredible!"

"I’m not just saying this to flatter you, but your steak and rice is unbeatable."

Zhou Jingliang picked up a piece of steak with his chopsticks and put it in Zhang Jingjing’s bowl of noodles.

"Babe, you have to try this. This steak is even better than that fancy Western place that cost 500 a head."

Zhang Jingjing took a bite, and her expression changed as well.

"It really is delicious," Zhang Jingjing praised.

"The people know what they’re talking about. Brother Jiang’s food really is something else."

"I’ve gotta try some of these noodles."

Zhou Jingliang reached over with his chopsticks and plucked a few noodles from Zhang Jingjing’s bowl.

"Fuck, this is amazing! These noodles are divine. Making plain noodles taste this good... you could be on one of those high-end food shows."

"We’re eating here from now on. And hey, it’ll even save us some money."

"You don’t have to convince me, I’m definitely coming back."

Zhou Jingliang had stopped talking, focusing entirely on devouring his food.

Zhang Jingjing had also abandoned her refined table manners, eating with clear satisfaction.

Lin Jiang ate a few bites himself but quickly lost his appetite.

’Even the most delicious food gets old if you eat it too often.’

’If someone brought him a steak and rice from somewhere else right now, he’d probably find it more appealing.’

’It’s like they say about wives—someone else’s is always better.’

Just then, Lin Jiang saw Lin Qiangwei walk in.

Her eyes swept across the shop before finally locking with Lin Jiang’s.

She gestured toward the noodle shop’s back door, indicating that he should meet her there.

Lin Jiang wanted to speak with her as well, so he put down his spoon and said:

"You two go ahead and eat. I have to step out for a bit."

"Sure, go handle your business. Don’t worry about us."

Lin Jiang nodded and headed for the back door.

He saw Lin Qiangwei had already reached the entrance of a nearby Starbucks.

He followed her inside and found an empty table. After placing her order, Lin Qiangwei came over.

Her form-fitting dress clung to her curves, a figure that was the heart’s desire of countless men. She naturally drew a lot of attention.

Straightening her dress, Lin Qiangwei sat down opposite Lin Jiang. A wave of strong perfume washed over him. Lin Jiang fanned the air in front of his face, finding the scent a little overwhelming.

"You don’t like my perfume today?"

"The scent itself is fine. You might have just put on a bit too much."

"And how would you know I spray a lot? That’s a secret I keep to myself."

Lin Jiang: ???

’Are we even talking about the same thing?’

Seeing Lin Jiang’s momentary bewilderment, Lin Qiangwei felt a flash of triumphant delight.

The waiter brought over Lin Qiangwei’s coffee. She took a sip, and her expression turned serious.

"Why did you go to Wang Xianping’s company?"

"That company, Jinyuan, belongs to Wang Xianping?" Lin Jiang asked, surprised.

"Yes. And the man who came out with us, Wang Haichen, is his son."

"A friend of mine works there. He was going through his onboarding process today, so I was waiting for him at the gate."

"So that’s how it is..." Lin Qiangwei murmured.

"With your capabilities, I wouldn’t think you’d let a friend of yours go work for someone else. Especially when that someone is a potential rival."

"I wanted to keep our friendship from getting complicated, so I never planned on helping him that way. And I truly had no idea that was Wang Xianping’s company," Lin Jiang explained.

"It seems you really don’t see him as a threat, not even bothering to do some basic reconnaissance."

"Given their scale, do you think I need to?"

"Of course not. I’m well aware of what our President Lin is capable of."

Lin Qiangwei adjusted her posture, crossing one leg over the other.

"So, now that you know, what’s your plan?"

"I’ll let things play out. Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t like to interfere in other people’s business, just as I don’t like others meddling in mine."

Lin Qiangwei watched Lin Jiang with keen interest.

’The more she looked at the man before her, the more intriguing she found him.’

"Those two have been sticking together lately. While I don’t know all the details, you’ve definitely become a thorn in Wang Xianping’s side. He’ll come after you sooner or later, unless you shut down your two new locations."

"I’m actually quite curious to see how Wang Xianping will choose to come after me," Lin Jiang said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"While you’re worrying about Wang Xianping, you should probably watch out for Lang Zhenglian first. He’s holding a serious grudge against you."

"If he dares to make a move, I’ll break his legs."

Lin Qiangwei watched him, finding him more and more masculine the longer she looked.

’He was like a vortex, pulling all of her attention toward him.’

’His build wasn’t particularly imposing; next to her, he even seemed a little slender.’

’Yet this was the same man who felt like a dormant volcano.’

’When angered, he could erupt with fiery lava, incinerating everything in his path.’

"That’s all I can tell you for now. Oh, right, there is one more thing I need to remind you about."

After another sip of coffee, Lin Qiangwei smoothed back her hair and said:

"My father has been slowly stepping back. The bosses from the surrounding blocks have all heard about it. They’re very interested in you and have tacitly acknowledged you as the new man in charge of Beiqiao Street."

"Forcing me down to their level... Those old scoundrels are disgusting."

Lin Qiangwei didn’t find his words to be an exaggeration.

If Lin Jiang only had his noodle shop and a clubhouse, it would be natural to put him in the same category as them.

But he was also the secret owner of Berkeley, with a net worth in the billions. Those old gangsters were simply not in his league.

"There’s no other way. It’s a necessary part of growth."

Lin Qiangwei said:

"My father started out running a nightclub. He’s faced this kind of thing countless times over the years on his way to where he is today. People will always show up to cause trouble. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. The big fish eat the small fish. It all comes down to whether you have what it takes to become a big fish yourself."

Lin Jiang remained noncommittal.

’Every successful person has a dark history. In the beginning, everyone’s methods are dirty, one worse than the next. They only start to clean up their image after they’ve made it.’

’Just like that beggar who became emperor.’

’If he hadn’t become emperor, he’d just be a beggar, and no one would give a damn about his origins.’

’But once he became emperor, everything changed.’

’The history books recorded that he was born on a dark and stormy night.’

’That night, a golden dragon descended from the heavens, overcame the biological barrier with his mother, and in a grand, interspecies fusion of life, she gave birth to him, a Son of the Dragon. Thus, he was destined from birth to be emperor.’

’Fucking hilarious when you think about it.’

"The other day, when Pan Yongbin came looking for you, your man said that there was only one Master Lin in Beiqiao Street. But right now, nobody recognizes that title. People would laugh if they heard it. Unless..."

"Unless I take out Wang Xianping and Pan Shengli. Only then will they take me seriously. At the same time, it would eliminate the potential threat to your family, allowing you to do business in peace in the future."

Even though Lin Jiang had seen right through her, Lin Qiangwei’s expression remained unchanged.

’A man as perceptive as Lin Jiang couldn’t be fooled by something like this. It was better to admit it freely than to make excuses.’

"As things stand now, I would definitely benefit," Lin Qiangwei said earnestly.

"That’s why I’m willing to sell you some of my shares at a low price, to tie our interests together. Otherwise, I’d just be freeloading off your efforts, and my conscience wouldn’t allow that."

"Is that really all there is to it?"

Lin Jiang rested his chin on his hand, his gaze calm, and said:

"If you simply wanted to do business in peace, all you’d have to do is tell them I’m the owner of Berkeley. They wouldn’t dare to have any designs on me, nor would they dare to cause trouble for you. But..."

Looking at Lin Qiangwei, Lin Jiang continued slowly,

"...those people would still be around, and the power structure of Ning’an District wouldn’t change. You want them to come at me, one by one, so you can use me to eliminate them. That way, you’ll have the opportunity to consolidate all the resources in Ning’an District for yourself. Am I wrong?"

Lin Qiangwei didn’t say a word, sitting perfectly still on the sofa.

’She had known for a long time that Lin Jiang was an incredibly perceptive man. She just hadn’t expected him to see through every last detail of her plan with such clarity.’

’A hundred men with Pan Yongbin’s brains couldn’t equal one of his.’

’In the future, both Wang Xianping and Pan Shengli would be nothing more than stepping stones for him.’

’And insignificant stumbling blocks at that.’

"Couldn’t it be that I chose this path simply because I’m interested in you as a person? Are you afraid I’m going to eat you alive?"

"Of course not."

Lin Jiang paused, a playful look in his eyes as he gazed at Lin Qiangwei.

"On one condition: you have to prove you can be useful to me."