Chapter 79: I Did It On Purpose (Part 1)

  Yang Huaixiu had always treated Zhou Mingluo as a close relative, and now that she really saw him make a comeback, with a large net worth, the pleasant feeling was even stronger than when he took back this store for her.

  However, holding the ownership certificate of the jade store, she was again hesitant to accept it. After all, this was something worth hundreds of thousands, and even if she didn't consider Zhou Mingluo an outsider, she really didn't dare to take it lightly. "Little Luo..."

  "Xiang Auntie, when I first came to Xinjiang, if it wasn't for you and Fang Shu helping me, I wouldn't even have a foothold. These few years, you've also always treated me like...” Knowing that the other party was about to refuse, Zhou Mingluo interrupted Yang Huaixiu's words, speaking from his heart with great sincerity. He too regarded her as one of his own family members.

  No matter what, he wouldn't let Yang Huaiyu refuse the store, and after pushing it for a long time, Yang Huaiyu finally accepted the property certificate with a bitter smile. However, this bitter smile only flashed for a moment, and then her face, which had been buried in worry and pain since Fang Shu's imprisonment, once again broke out into a genuine smile.

  She smiled, not just because she saw Zhou Mingluo's demeanor and was relieved, but also because she knew that Fang Shu was being taken care of in prison, right? Now the deputy warden of Pingyuan Prison is sitting across from her, looking very close to Zhou Mingluo. Even if the mayor of Xincheng City is sitting here, can't she be at ease?

  The next meal, except for Ling Yu who still looked a bit awkward and restrained from time to time, everyone else at the table was eating extremely relaxed and happy.

  After dinner, Chen Yulang and Yang Huaibei, Ling Yu all left one after another. On the contrary, Huang Xingran knew that Zhou Ming and others were going to the jade shop next, and he also wanted to go and take a look.

  "Zhou, little brother, your jade store is about to open, and as the older brother, I naturally have to go and show my support. However, I don't understand anything about jade accessories, so don't take advantage of me later." Huang Xingran said with a slight smile outside the Qingxiang Restaurant.

  Actually, just now when they heard Huang Xingran was going to follow them to the jade store, the others were all unwilling to go in their hearts. They were all part of the system and who wouldn't want to stay with the mayor for a while?

  But Ling Yu and others still left, because Ling Yu's face was not thick enough, when she stayed before, she didn't think Huang Xingran would follow her, at that time it was okay to say, after all, they couldn't just leave when they saw the mayor, but this meal she ate was extremely oppressive, basically not daring to say a word, afraid that Zhou Minglu or Yang Huaixiu might occasionally mention something about the 40,000 yuan, then she would lose face in front of the mayor, and she could not bear the consequences.

  Ling Yu walked away, with big and small bags of things. Yang Huaijun was naturally going to see him off, while Chen Yinlong had received a phone call and had to leave. It could be seen that Old Comrade Chen was so angry when he left that he almost smashed his mobile phone.

  As Huang Xingran laughed, Zhou Mingluo also smiled slightly, and Yang Huaixiu hurriedly waved her hand, saying, "No way, no way, it's our honor if Xingran can go."

  She also called out like this just now at lunch under Huang Xingran's strong request, but even until now, Yang Huaiyu still felt a little nervous.

  "Ah, Auntie Chong's words, I'd better buy a few more today." Huang Xingran smiled again and then looked ahead, "Since the jade store is not far from here, I won't drive either. Let's walk there instead."

  In the morning, Zhou Ming finally finished decorating the store. At noon, he invited Yang Huixiu to lunch and planned to give her the ownership certificate of the jade shop during the meal. In the afternoon, he would take her there to have a look. The restaurant for lunch was adjacent to Jade Street, and Qingxiang Restaurant was less than 50 meters away from the jade shop, so it wasn't necessary to drive.

  The three of them chatted as they walked and arrived in front of a small street-side store after a few minutes.

  "Zi Yu Xuan" is the name of the small shop, with a storefront on the first floor facing the street, only about 20-30 square meters in size. Through the glass door facing the street, you can clearly see several neat glass display cases inside the store displaying various jade ornaments.

  Zhou Ming handed over to Yang Huaixiu not only the ownership certificate of the jade shop, but also the key.

  As Yang Huixiu smiled and walked forward to open the door, Huang Xingran handed a cigarette to Zhou Mingluo. After Zhou Mingluo waved his hand, he laughed and said, "It's still better not to smoke, it's good for your body, but I'm an old smoker now, I need two packs a day, and when there are many meetings, three packs can't be finished." Lighting the cigarette and taking a deep breath, Huang Xingran's eyes suddenly had a hint of excitement because he suddenly realized that if he wanted to get close to Zhou Mingluo and deepen their relationship, there was a great opportunity in front of him.

  Just now when he was having dinner, he clearly learned a piece of information that Yang Huaixiu's husband is now in prison, which is also the reason why Chen Hong and Zhou Minglai are involved. And he just found out about Zhou Minglai's character, that is, valuing relationships. In the past, Fang Shu and Yang Huaixiu had helped him, and now Zhou Minglai has basically repaid them tenfold or even a hundredfold, and completely regards Fang Shu and his wife as his own people.

  If someone like him could help get Fang Shuyong out of prison himself, the consequences...

  However, Huang Xingran's excitement was deeply hidden, and he still had this degree of tact. Just now at the dinner table, Zhou Ming Luo and others didn't chat much about this matter, and he didn't know much either, only knowing that Fang Shu was also in prison.

  So he had already made up his mind that after making an appearance at Yang Huaiyu's jade shop, he would immediately go back and have someone investigate the entire course of events. At that time, as long as Fang Shu was not a murderer who set fires and did all sorts of evil things, he would definitely pull him out, and for this, even if it meant violating a little principle, it was acceptable.

  On the other hand, he was also a bit helpless because Zhou Ming didn't give him a detailed explanation of why Fang Shu was in prison, nor did he ask for his help. This really made him feel helpless, showing that Comrade Xiao Zhou still treated him as an outsider.

  Even thinking about it now, Huang Xingran couldn't help but find it a bit laughable. In the past, how many people had wanted to curry favor with him, asking for his help or just wanting to associate themselves with him? At the time, he hadn't been bothered by them at all, not even giving them a second thought. Who would have thought that one day he'd be upset because someone wasn't coming to him for help? It was really quite ridiculous.

  However, he didn't know that Zhou Ming Luo had thought of asking for his help. Since rescuing Song Lao, he really wanted to ask Huang Xing Ran to help rescue Fang Shu Tong, but on the one hand, doing so would have a hint of seeking revenge, and on the other hand, Zhou Ming Luo knew clearly that Fang Shu Tong was framed by Shi Liang, and Shi Liang's father was the municipal party secretary. He was really afraid that Huang Xing Ran wouldn't be able to help with this matter. After all, although many people in the organization knew about Huang Xing Ran's background as a third-generation descendant of the Huang family from Beijing, Zhou Ming Luo didn't know any of this. He only knew that a regular mayor was just an arm, while the municipal party secretary was the thigh. Secretary Shi had already served two terms as municipal party secretary in Xinjiang and had deep roots, whereas Huang Xing Ran was just a newcomer who had arrived less than 20 days ago and might not necessarily be able to help.

  So from start to finish he didn't mention this matter at all.

  If Huang Xingran knew about this, he would probably be furious if the other party was afraid that he couldn't help. How could it be that as a mayor and the eldest grandson of Old Man Huang, he couldn't even surpass a spoiled brat from a municipal party committee secretary's family?

  "Come on in, it's finally yours again." Just then, Yang Huaiyu also opened the door of her store and looked at the storefront that she had operated with care for many years, now back in her own hands. Yang Huaiyu was truly overjoyed from the bottom of her heart.

  "Alright." Zhou Ming Luo and Huang Xing Ran also nodded in unison with a smile, taking steps forward.

  "Just then, a sudden and harsh voice came from behind, 'Hold on, Mr. Zhou, Boss Yang, I can't rent this store to you anymore.'"

  "What?" The three people who were smiling suddenly looked surprised, quickly turned around and saw a middle-aged man in his 40s walking towards them with an embarrassed face, his eyes also dodging, but it was the landlord of this jade shop.

  The jade store's storefront is just rented, it was like that for the past few years, and when Zhou Ming Luo handled the procedures before, he also paid a year's rent at once, and the rest of the money was spent on buying jade jewelry.

  At first, Zhou Ming thought of buying it directly, but unfortunately, the other party didn't sell, only rented. As soon as he mentioned buying, the price was sky-high, and he temporarily lost the idea of buying. The landlord wasn't stupid either. In a prosperous urban area, a street-side shop in Xinkun, which is a first-tier city in China, can collect tens of millions of yuan in rent every year by renting it out. Why would they be foolish enough to sell it all at once?

  "Uncle Yang, what kind of joke is this? Our lease has only been signed for a few days. Why can't we continue to rent it?"

  "Yes, Mr. Yang, this contract clearly states that the lease is not up until next year, and we've already paid the rent for a year. How can you go back on your word? Besides, we've been cooperating for four or five years now, how can you do this?"

  In surprise, Zhou Ming Luo and Yang Huai Xiu both opened their mouths to ask back, with Yang Huai Xiu even waving the rental agreement in her hand.

  Facing this doubt, the middle-aged man with the surname Yang just shook his head helplessly, and his eyes became even more evasive. "Ah, Mr. Yang, Mr. Zhou, I have no choice either. In short, this store cannot be rented to you anymore. The liquidated damages will be paid by me."

  He was also helpless and didn't want to be the bad guy, but he had no choice. Especially after learning that Zhou Mingluo had arranged everything in the store and was waiting for him to return.

  Yesterday, I originally coded two chapters, but after uploading one chapter at noon, I had a drink with friends in the afternoon and fell asleep until today, forgetting to upload the remaining chapter. Today, I'll update three chapters to make up for it. Ah, Fu Bao also has nearly 200,000 words now, but the number of collections and recommendations is still pitifully small. Please vote for a recommendation ticket, striving to break through 10,000 tickets soon, which looks better too.