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Shen Ranran then spent two whole days thinking about it.

In the past two days, Shen Ranran has continued to go to work as usual, receive clients as usual, and chat and laugh with her colleagues as usual.

But Zhuangzhuang could tell that Shen Ranran would take out that business card and look at it whenever she had free time.

On the third night, the two lay on their respective beds in room 107.

The lights were off, and Shen Ranran suddenly spoke in the darkness, "Zhuangzhuang, I've made up my mind."

Zhuangzhuang turned over, facing her, and said, "Go ahead."

“I’m going to work at Boss Chu’s company. I want to give it a try. If I don’t go this time, I might regret it for the rest of my life. Even if I don’t make it in the end, I have to try, because you won’t know how much it hurts until you try.”

Zhuangzhuang was silent for a few seconds, then said, "Okay, I'll go. But when do you want to hand in your resignation?"

Shen Ranran laughed in the darkness, "Tomorrow."

……

The next day, Shen Ranran submitted her resignation.

The sales office was quite surprised when they received her resignation. Zhang Jie specifically pulled her aside and asked, "Ranran, have you found a better place to go?"

Shen Ranran didn't elaborate, "Team Leader Zhang, I just wanted to try something else."

"Ranran, given your situation at the sales office, it would be such a waste to resign," Zhang Jie naturally offered a few more words of advice.

"Thank you, Team Leader Zhang! I've thought it through."

"Alright!" Seeing Shen Ranran's firm attitude, Zhang Jie didn't stop her anymore. He just signed the resignation form and said, "You can come back anytime you want."

"Thank you."

After leaving Mingju Real Estate, Shen Ranran took Chu Caiyuan's business card and made that phone call.

Chu Caiyuan sounded very happy on the other end of the phone and asked her to come to the company for a meeting the next day.

The interview went smoothly, the contract terms were not harsh, and all the benefits that a new employee should receive were included.

Chu Caiyuan didn't play any tricks in these matters; he genuinely believed that Shen Ranran was a promising talent.

After reading the contract, Shen Ranran picked up a pen and signed her name.

After leaving the film company, Shen Ranran stood on a main street in Beijing, watching the crowds and bicycles coming and going, and took a deep breath.

She knew that from now on, she was on a completely different path.

……

As for Mingju Real Estate, Shen Ranran's departure is just a tiny speck in the vast business landscape of Suning, barely making a ripple.

Suning wouldn't care at all about the resignation of a young woman from a sales office.

He's now completely absorbed in a much larger game, endlessly repeating the same set of actions...

Using financial leverage to stimulate the real estate market, they shuttled back and forth between major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, taking out loans, acquiring land, mortgaging it again, and using loans to acquire new land.

At land auctions in several first-tier cities, Mingju Real Estate's bidding paddle was almost always present.

They're embracing land after land, and their project reserves are multiplying.

However, there are many things that Suning doesn't know.

Unbeknownst to him, countless people came and went every day at the construction sites of the buildings under his name. There were migrant workers from other places carrying their bedding rolls, casual laborers riding broken bicycles looking for work, and small contractors leading a dozen or so brothers to solicit projects everywhere.

These people, like capillaries, permeate the city's most basic building network.

There is a small contractor named Feng Tieyou on the construction site of the "Beijing No. 2" project.

Feng Tieyou was not old, only in his early thirties or forties. He was strong and his face was tanned dark red by the sun, but he gave people a sinister and unapproachable feeling.

He's from Wenzhou, where he offended some people he shouldn't have, so he came to Beijing to work on construction sites for several years.

He started as a laborer, then became a skilled worker, and later gathered a dozen fellow villagers to form a small team, taking on odd jobs such as bricklaying, steel bar tying, and concrete pouring at various construction sites.

The workers under Feng Tieyou worked for him; they earned money when there was work and rested when there wasn't.

These people basically all lived in similar makeshift sheds.

What are the conditions like in the workers' shed?

In summer, it was as hot as a steamer, and in winter, cold winds whistled in. Dozens of people squeezed into one large dormitory bed, and the smell of feet and sweat mixed together could knock a newcomer off their feet.

Feng Tieyou had long been fed up with the construction site's makeshift sheds.

Therefore, Feng Tieyou had been thinking about finding a decent place for his brothers to live.

Then he noticed the nearby "winter goes and spring comes".

This hotel is located not far from the No. 2 construction site in Beijing. It is a renovated old courtyard house. There are not many rooms, the price is reasonable, and it is fairly clean.

Most importantly, Feng Tieyou had inquired and found out that the residents here were mostly poor young men and women from other places, with no powerful connections.

……

That evening, Feng Tieyou led a few brothers and barged into the gate of "Winter is Gone and Spring is Coming".

Feng Tieyou walked at the front, followed by six workers, each covered in dust and mud from the construction site, their sleeves rolled up to their elbows, revealing their hands roughened by steel bars and cement.

A few people stood at the doorway, blocking half of the light that was supposed to be coming in spring.

Xiao Dongbei was squatting behind the counter organizing this month's check-in registrations when he heard a commotion. He quickly looked up and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Feng Tieyou strode up to the counter and glanced at the courtyard behind Xiao Dongbei. "Are you the person in charge here?"

Xiao Dongbei straightened up, bracing himself, and looked at Feng Tieyou across the counter. "Yes, my name is Xiao Dongbei. What do you need?"

Feng Tieyou grinned. "This is a hotel, right? I want to book all of your rooms.

Xiao Dongbei didn't move. "I'm sorry, we have long-term tenants here, and the rooms are basically full. You can't book them all."

Feng Tieyou acted as if he hadn't heard anything, and walked directly around the counter into the courtyard, turning his head to look at the doors as he went. His men followed him inside.

Feng Tieyou walked to the door of a room marked 108, reached out and pushed it. The door was unlocked, and inside, Xu Shengli was sitting on the bed writing something. He was so startled by the sudden opening of the door that he dropped his pen on the ground.

Guo Zongbao, Cao Ye, and Tao Liangliang, who were in the room, all looked over with displeasure, wondering where this scoundrel had come from who was so reckless.

Xiao Dongbei immediately flew into a rage, rushing forward to block Feng Tieyou's path. "What are you doing? I told you there are people living here. If you want to see the room, this isn't the way to look at it." Feng Tieyou looked down at Xiao Dongbei, who, despite being terrified, stood there without backing down.

One of Feng Tieyou's brothers took a step forward, but Feng Tieyou stopped him with his hand.

The commotion in the hotel startled everyone out of their rooms.

Xu Shengli stood at the door of room 108. Cao Ye, Guo Zongbao, and Tao Liangliang all realized something was wrong and looked towards Feng Tieyou with wary expressions.

Zhuangzhuang heard the sound and came out of room 107. She looked a little nervous, but she didn't back away.

Feng Tieyou glanced at the faces peeking out, then looked at Xiao Dongbei. "Xiao Dongbei, speak properly. It's not like I'm not paying. I'm paying for the room, and more than others. How much per person per month do you charge? I'll pay double, okay? Triple, okay? You make all these people move out, and my brothers and I will move in. Nobody loses out."

Xiao Dongbei said, "It's not about the amount of money. These residents have all lived here for a long time, and we get along like family. No matter how much money you offer, I can't kick people out."

Feng Tieyou chuckled, turned to his brothers and laughed, "Family? You run a hotel and you've become family with your tenants? You're really something. So you're not giving them any face?"

At this moment, Tao Liangliang stood next to Xiao Dongbei and looked at Feng Tieyou, saying, "What you're saying is wrong. It's their business to decide who rents the rooms to and who doesn't. You're offering more money so you want them to move out, but they don't want to. Isn't that normal? Why are you forcing them?"

When Feng Tieyou saw Tao Liangliang suddenly appear, he realized that Tao Liangliang was all bark and no bite, and was just pretending to be fearless.

Feng Tieyou sized Tao Liangliang up and down, "Who do you think you are?"

Tao Liangliang said, "I live here, not the scallion you're talking about."

At this moment, Zhuangzhuang walked over from the entrance of room 107 and stood fearlessly in front of Feng Tieyou, saying, "Boss, you're also someone who makes a living with your brothers outside, so you must understand the meaning of rules. This hotel is where we've been staying for a long time. We've been paying rent and signing agreements. You come here and try to kick us out, that's not the rule. You say you're offering a high price, but the premise of a high price is that the hotel has to be vacant first. If the hotel isn't vacant, no matter how high the price you offer, you can't just take it by force. When you're taking jobs on a construction site, you have to wait in line. You can't just bring your men in and say, 'I want to do this job, who can offer the highest price,' when someone else's contracted work hasn't been finished yet, can you?"

Feng Tieyou was immediately speechless by Zhuangzhuang's words.

When he usually interacts with people, they are either rough men from construction sites or people who bow and scrape before him. He rarely encounters a young woman standing in front of him and arguing with him so clearly and logically.

Feng Tieyou opened his mouth, but hesitated for two seconds before being unable to say anything.

At this moment, Xu Shengli saw Zhuangzhuang stand out and confront the burly contractor. His heart tightened, and he reached behind him for a mop handle.

Xu Shengli calmly reached for the mop handle, held it in his hand, put it behind his back, and took half a step closer to Zhuangzhuang's side.

He didn't say anything, nor did he rush forward.

If Feng Tieyou and his brothers make any move, he can swing the mop handle in his hand immediately.

The guy behind Feng Tieyou got a little annoyed by Zhuang Zhuang's words and pointed at her, saying, "You're a pretty girl, why are you so gossipy?"

Xiao Dongbei immediately stepped in front of Zhuangzhuang and slapped the man's finger down, saying, "Put your finger down. Stop gesturing like that."

The guy got slapped and immediately got angry, hunching his shoulders forward as if to make a move.

Feng Tieyou reached out and stopped him, pushing him back.

Feng Tieyou was more shrewd than his men, knowing that taking action here was a different matter altogether, as the neighbors and residents nearby could call the police station at any time.

At this moment, Xiao Dongbei stood in front of everyone, looked Feng Tieyou in the eye, and said, "Boss, let me be frank with you. I know Officer Tang from the local police station, and we have a pretty good relationship. If you go to jail, who will take care of your men?"

Upon hearing the words "Officer Tang," Feng Tieyou's fierce expression softened slightly.

After all, he's someone who's been out in the world for years, and he knows best how troublesome it is to get involved with people in uniform.

He has a dozen or so men under his command. If they really get arrested, these guys won't even have anyone to lead them in their work.

Feng Tieyou stood there for a few seconds, then suddenly bent down and picked up an empty beer bottle from the ground.

Seeing him pick up the bottle, everyone around tensed up. Xu Shengli gripped the mop handle tightly, while Tao Liangliang, Guo Zongbao, and Cao Ye all rushed forward.

But Feng Tieyou did not throw it at anyone.

He suddenly turned around and faced the brother behind him who had just been pointing at Zhuangzhuang. The bottle fell down, hitting the brother on the head with a dull thud, shards of glass scattering all over the ground.

The man groaned in pain, clutched his head, and took a step back, but didn't dare to cry out.

Feng Tieyou threw the broken bottle neck onto the ground and patted the glass shards off his hands.

Then, he scanned the people present and finally fixed his gaze on Xiao Dongbei. "You know Officer Tang, good. Xiao Dongbei, you've got some skills. I won't use force today, but my brothers need a place to stay, so we'll be staying here from winter to spring."

Xiao Dongbei swallowed hard and said with a forced smile, "I'm sorry! Our hotel has no vacant rooms."

"Hmph!" Feng Tieyou stared at Xiao Dongbei for several seconds, then waved his hand and said to his men, "Let's go."

The group of people hurriedly left, with the last one turning back to glare at them fiercely.

As Feng Tieyou reached the door, he turned back to Xiao Dongbei and said, "Xiao Dongbei, my name is Feng Tieyou. Remember this name, we'll meet again."

The door slammed shut, and the hotel fell silent instantly.

Tao Liangliang was the first to speak, saying towards the door, "What the hell is this?"

Guo Zongbao saw the shards of broken glass on the corridor floor. "Are you all alright? Zhuangzhuang, are you okay?"

Zhuangzhuang shook her head. "I'm fine."

Xu Shengli released his hand from behind and propped the mop handle against the wall.

He took a breath, trying to make his voice sound less tense, "You're too bold, Zhuangzhuang. You're trying to talk to him about rules? What rules do you have for someone like him? For someone like him, whoever has the bigger fist is the rule."

Zhuangzhuang turned to Xu Shengli and said, "I definitely can't win an argument with him in terms of fists, but he might not stand up to reason with me."

Xiao Dongbei found a broom and dustpan, squatted down and swept up the broken glass shards bit by bit.

Zhuangzhuang squatted down to help him, and the two of them swept silently for a while.

Xiao Dongbei said, "Zhuangzhuang, what you said today was really something. Among the girls I know, there aren't many who would dare to talk to a thug like that."

Zhuangzhuang said, "Actually, I was just angry. He was so unreasonable. He tried to kick us all out right away. Why should he?"

Xiao Dongbei looked up at her and said, "Thank you."

Zhuangzhuang shook her head. "No need to thank me. Like you said, we're all family."

At this moment, the residents, who had just returned from winter to spring, all gathered around.

An old resident who had lived there for a long time pulled Xiao Dongbei aside and said, "Xiao Dongbei, that Feng Tieyou is no pushover. He left today, but will he come back tomorrow?"

Xiao Dongbei stood up and emptied the glass shards from the dustpan into the trash can. "Let him come. I'll block him every time he comes. Don't worry, as long as I, Xiao Dongbei, am still here in charge, none of you need to be afraid of being kicked out."

...(End of this chapter)