Chapter Seventy-Four: The Boss

Old Su immediately collapsed, knowing in his heart that no matter how much he begged for mercy, Zhang Can would show him no leniency. If he wanted to blame someone, he could only blame himself for having driven Zhang Can to desperation, or perhaps he should never have done such a thing in the first place.

“A-Qiang, come here!” Zhu Senlin beckoned, calling Zhang Qiang and the other workers over. Pointing at Old Su, he instructed, “Take him outside and throw him out. Then go notify every shop we do business with—tell them Old Su betrayed me, that I’ve fired him, and spread the news throughout all of Jin City!”

The men responded at once, dragging Old Su out. Behind the counter, Su Xiu was so frightened she was trembling.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Senlin looked up at Su Xiu and said, “Su Xiu, I think you understand your situation. There’s no point in continuing here. However, I won’t fire you. If you think you can keep working, then stay. If you can’t, resign.”

Su Xiu’s face changed dramatically. She understood Zhu Senlin’s meaning perfectly. If she didn’t resign, he wouldn’t fire her, but he would surely make her life difficult—giving her the worst shifts, making her do the hardest jobs. There was no way it would ever be as easy as when her uncle Old Su was in charge. The reason Zhu Senlin wouldn’t fire her was to avoid paying her severance; but if she quit, there would be no severance, only her remaining salary for the month. Zhu Senlin had calculated this quite shrewdly.

Standing behind the counter for a long while, Su Xiu glanced at Zhang Can, who stood there coldly. If she insisted on staying, would he ever treat her kindly in the future?

After a long hesitation, Su Xiu finally spoke with difficulty, “I… I resign…”

“Very well!” Zhu Senlin immediately opened his bag, took out a wad of cash, counted out thirty-five bills, and tossed them onto the counter. Then he said blandly, “There are only twenty days in this month, but I’ll pay you a full month’s salary. No need to write a resignation letter.”

Su Xiu took the money, picked up her bag, and left the counter with a heavy heart.

Of course, she was reluctant, but she knew she couldn’t stay here any longer. She wasn’t a professional, her education was mediocre, and she’d only been able to keep her position at Old Stone Studio thanks to her uncle Old Su. Without him, she never would have set foot in a place like this.

After Su Xiu was driven out, Zhu Senlin immediately pulled Zhang Can over to sit at the tea table. Wang Qian sat across from them. Zhu Senlin chuckled and told Zhang Qiang, “A-Qiang, go get my best tea and brew a pot!”

Zhang Qiang hurried in, grinning, to fetch the tea leaves. Around the tea table were only Wang Qian, Zhang Can, and Zhu Senlin. Zhang Can smiled wryly and said, “Old Zhu, now the shop’s down by two people. You’d better hire replacements quickly. You know me—I’m a bit lazy.”

Zhu Senlin waved his hand dismissively, “No problem, no problem. We’re just missing an accountant. Bring your little girlfriend over—she can do it. The job isn’t complicated, not like in a big company with lots of people. Here, it’s just a few of us. She can take night classes in accounting while working here. Bring your sister in as well—she can help watch the shop and greet customers. These are all simple tasks; you’ll handle the technical work. We can also hire an experienced appraiser, and you’ll have more free time to come out with me. Going out and about is also business, you know. We might even make more money that way than just sitting in the shop. Haha! Little Zhang, and another thing…”

With a broad smile, Zhu Senlin glanced at Wang Qian, then turned to Zhang Can. “I’ve decided to give you half the shares in this shop. Tomorrow, I’ll transfer the business license and shareholder registration to both our names. From now on, you’ll be a co-owner. Let’s develop this shop together!”

Zhang Can was momentarily stunned. Zhu Senlin’s words genuinely surprised him. He knew the shop was worth about five million in total. He’d always dreamed of owning a small antique shop and building it up slowly, but that dream had seemed too far away—until he’d gained the ability of the Black-and-White X-ray vision. Still, having a shop meant stability, something lasting. Trading antiques for windfall profits was risky; one day he might make nothing. But a shop—now that was a lifelong endeavor. Clearly, Zhu Senlin was sincere in wanting to keep him, and he’d gone as far as he possibly could.

Of course, Zhu Senlin dared to make such a decision because Zhang Can had already brought him profits far beyond what the shop could normally earn. “To sharpen your tools, you must first sharpen your will”—he understood this principle well. Giving half the shop to Zhang Can made him an owner too; he’d have to take proper care of the business. With Zhang Can’s sister and fiancée involved, Zhang Can would be even more tied to the place. It might seem like Zhu Senlin was conceding something, but in fact, he was gaining much more. Consider Zhang Can’s abilities: in just this short period, and with today’s thirty million profit, he’d made over forty million yuan altogether. Zhu Senlin could never have imagined such a thing. If he’d kept running the Old Stone Studio the old way, he might have made ten or twenty million in his entire lifetime. But Zhang Can had done more than double that in just half a month!

If this continued for a year or two, how much could they make? The thought filled Zhu Senlin with excitement. If someone offered him ten million to buy the shop, he’d agree in an instant. Just think how much Zhang Can had made for him. He’d even give the shop away outright if it meant keeping him.

Wang Qian sighed. Last time, Zhang Can had hesitated to accept his invitation, but now it seemed Zhang Can would definitely stay. Zhang Can was a man of deep feeling. Zhu Senlin was clever in doing everything possible to keep him. And with Old Su’s affair, Zhang Can felt indebted to Zhu Senlin. Now that Zhu Senlin had offered him half the shop, Zhang Can could hardly refuse.

As expected, Zhang Can hesitated for a moment, then said, “Old Zhu, I agree to your proposal. Old Su’s business has troubled you, too. I think… for half the shop, I should pay you half its market value. Otherwise…”

“That’s easy!” Zhu Senlin interrupted with a wave of his hand. “The shop is worth about five million at market rate. Of course, with your talents, its potential is limitless. If we resold it to someone else in a year, the price would be ten times higher. If you insist on paying, how about this: when we distribute profits in the future, you can pay me two and a half million from your share.”

Zhang Can smiled wryly and replied, “Old Zhu, I have nothing more to say. You’ve done everything you could, and I know you want to keep me because you value me. Very well, let’s do as you suggest.”

Wang Qian sighed again. “Little Zhang, to be honest, my main reason for coming here was you. But now that you and Old Zhu are partners, I won’t force a gentleman against his will. But our friendship stands. If you ever run into trouble, just ask me—if I can help, I won’t refuse.”

Zhu Senlin nodded repeatedly. He was still somewhat wary of Wang Qian, but clearly Wang Qian bore him no ill will—probably for Zhang Can’s sake. Besides, Wang Qian wasn’t the type to strong-arm others. If you tried to force Zhang Can to do something against his will, it would only drive a wedge between you.

“Mr. Wang, since today is a day for celebration, let me treat you to dinner tonight at the Jin City Grand Hotel,” Zhu Senlin offered. Then he turned to Zhang Can, “Little Zhang, bring your sister and your fiancée—they’ll be working with us, too, won’t they? Haha!”

Zhang Can agreed with a smile. Now that the matter of his sister and Liu Xiaoqin’s employment was settled, he was truly happy—especially since this was now his own shop. Judging by Zhu Senlin’s attitude, he would always be the leading figure, not just a subordinate. The shop would rely on him, so there was no need to worry about his sister or Liu Xiaoqin being mistreated; they could treat the place as their own.

“I’m sorry,” said Wang Qian, “I have to catch a flight back to the capital this afternoon—there’s something urgent I must attend to.” He thought for a moment, then took out paper and pen, wrote down a cell phone number, and handed it to Zhang Can. “Brother, here’s a number. If you ever run into trouble, call this number. He’ll help you.”

Zhang Can accepted it with a nod, thinking that he probably wouldn’t need to call. Wang Qian had been very good to him, but for now he had money, people, and the support of his extraordinary vision—he shouldn’t need to ask for help. Still, Wang Qian’s sincerity was obvious, and the number was worth keeping. Given Wang Qian’s bearing, his connections must be impressive. Perhaps the owner of this number was a super-rich tycoon. If he ever faced business difficulties, he could go to him. Wang Qian himself might be a magnate.

Wang Qian then pulled out his phone and called for his bodyguard to bring the car around and prepare for the airport.

Zhang Can was preparing to head home as well. Zhu Senlin grinned and reminded him, “Brother, bring those two girls with you!”

“I will, I will!” Zhang Can replied with a laugh, then happily went to the parking lot to drive home.

The Old Stone Studio was only a few minutes’ walk from Zhang Can’s apartment, so the drive was short. On the way, he remembered something, so he stopped by a supermarket, then went to the jewelry store upstairs, planning to buy gifts for his sister and Liu Xiaoqin.

But as he entered the elevator, he recalled the unpleasantness from last time and decided not to go to the same store. He would buy from another shop instead.

However, that shop was at the entrance, so Zhang Can still had to pass by it. After leaving the elevator, he kept his eyes straight ahead, intending to walk past quickly. But halfway there, a couple of the shop’s employees came out and stopped him.

Zhang Can glanced coldly at them. They were two of the salesgirls he’d seen before, one of whom had quarreled with him previously. However, they didn’t seem to be looking for trouble this time; their faces were flushed, full of excitement and nervousness. They stopped Zhang Can, each grabbing a sleeve, and hurriedly said, “We’re so sorry, sir. We’ve been looking for you everywhere! You didn’t tell us your name, where you live, or your phone number. It’s such a stroke of luck that you came in yourself…”

Zhang Can was taken aback. What were they up to? They weren’t looking for trouble—so what did they want? And who hadn’t told them his name, address, or phone number?

Still, he reminded himself not to be rude to people who were polite. Since they didn’t mean him harm, he followed them to the counter and sat down. “So, what’s this about?” he asked.

The salesgirl who’d argued with him before blushed and said, “Mr. Zhang, hello. I just want to apologize for what happened last time. Please be generous and forgive me.”

“Forgive you for what?” Zhang Can asked in confusion. He’d never caused them trouble, and lately he’d been so busy and tired that he hadn’t given the matter a thought. If not for wanting to buy gifts for his sister and Liu Xiaoqin, he wouldn’t even be here. And thinking about that day still brought a tinge of anger.