The heartless beauty is addicted to being licked by a seemingly obedient and loyal dog.

The backyard flower hall of the Shen residence in Beijing.

Dark green vines cascaded down the flower trellis, blocking out most of the midday heat.

Shen Chuanbin stood leisurely in front of the sandalwood bird stand, his left hand holding a string of glossy red sandalwood beads, and his right hand holding a brass toothpick.

He hummed a song as he picked up a fresh, red Fuji apple and teased the brightly feathered violet-blue macaw on the shelf.

This bird was a birthday gift from Shen Chonglu last year.

Shen Chuanbin has lived most of his life and has never liked small animals that shed fur and poop everywhere. Over the years, his home has never had a cat or dog, not even a flying insect.

But it was a gift from her own son.

Although he complained about it to the point of disgust, he secretly spent half a month studying bird-keeping manuals, personally preparing warm water and nuts for it every day, and even gave it a name that was both common and precious: Jinbao.

"Good boy, Jinbao, call me grandpa."

Shen Chuanbin lifted the apple slice higher and brought it to the parrot's beak, drawing out his tongue to entice it.

The macaw tilted its head and squawked incoherently, mimicking human speech. Just as it opened its sharp beak to try and grab the piece of fruit, a loud noise suddenly came from behind it.

"Bang--!!"

The two heavy nanmu wood doors were pushed open forcefully from the outside, and due to inertia, they slammed into the walls on both sides, making a teeth-grinding vibration.

Jinbao was startled and screamed as it flapped its huge wings, kicking up a shower of feathers and chaff. It flew frantically to the roof beam and huddled in the shadows, peeking out cautiously.

Shen Chuanbin was startled by the sudden commotion, causing his hand to tremble and the brass skewer between his fingers to fall to the ground.

He was getting old and couldn't handle being startled. He clutched his chest, which felt stuffy, and coughed repeatedly. It took him several seconds to catch his breath.

He turned around and glared at her, his face full of anger.

When the old man finally saw Shen Chonglu standing against the light at the door, the rebuke he was about to deliver was cut short, replaced by a cold, unfriendly snort.

"What are you doing? You're always so reckless. Even bandits wouldn't make this much noise when they come into the village."

Shen Chuanbin turned off the engine, bent down to pick up the copper skewer, wiped it on his handkerchief, and looked at his unreliable son.

Shen Chonglu must have just returned from outside, as he was still wearing a suit.

He took two steps to the round table, pulled out a bench and sat down, staring intently at his father. That look made Shen Chuanbin feel uneasy.

"...What's wrong with you? Did you get into trouble outside?"

The man shook his head, and asked solemnly and earnestly:

"Old man, when are you planning to retire? I think the time is right, and I can take over the company."

Shen Chuanbin paused in his hand, which was playing with the small-leaf sandalwood.

He stood there stunned, looking Shen Chonglu up and down several times in disbelief, as if his own son had been possessed by something dirty.

After a full half minute, the old man finally walked over, raised his finger, and tapped Shen Chonglu's head repeatedly.

Although the sound was crisp, it didn't actually take much force.

"How dare you talk nonsense in broad daylight?"

Shen Chuanbin pulled up a chair and sat down, letting out one cold snort after another, no longer caring about Jinbao who had been scared away.

"What's wrong?"

"You've been practically never home since you got back. Have you been hanging out with those shady friends and ruined your brain?"

"Back when you were abroad, your mother and I practically begged you to take over the branch company. We even offered you a small company worth a few million to practice with, but you wouldn't have agreed. What kind of weird wind is this today? You want the head office as soon as you get back?"

"What are you thinking? My Shen family's centuries-old legacy shouldn't be ruined by a brat like you."

"I still have a few years of work ahead of me. Unless you come to the group now and start from the bottom, or take over a few small companies to test the waters and let me see your capabilities, there's no point in talking to you."

"Didn't you study business administration and finance? This shouldn't be a big problem for you."

Shen Chonglu rubbed his head, which was throbbing from the knock, and his lips moved, but he didn't reveal the real reason why he wanted to take over the company.

You can't just tell the old man that you've taken a fancy to Song Yunqi, the young mistress of the Lu family, and are planning to steal her away. You're now in a hurry to use the resources of the entire Shen family to take down that damned Lu family.

The Lu family has a very strong foundation, and it is also supported by countless intertwined interests.

To prevent Lu Jinci from trying to make his presence known to Song Yunqi, he had already sent him away and he wouldn't be back for a while.

Dealing with Lu Jinci is easy, but dealing with Lu Qingyuan is a bit beyond his capabilities. After all, the private forces he currently controls are not enough; he needs to go further.

If you don't kill the snake, you'll suffer the consequences.

He must utilize the Shen family's public business empire, combined with clandestine methods, to decisively and swiftly "break through the cold and the land."

"Ouch, don't hit me on the head! What if you make me stupid?"

Shen Chonglu gave a vague, perfunctory reply, leaned back, and crossed his legs.

"I spent some time in Beijing and witnessed the harshness of the domestic market."

"Then arrange for me to join the company now. You don't need to give me a high position. You can continue to be the chairman of the board. I don't want to be the president. Just give me a vice president position. That will be enough."

Shen Chuanbin glanced at him sideways.

"You're dreaming. At best, you'll be given a minor manager position. Do you think a vice president parachuted in from outside can command respect?"

"The family business will be yours sooner or later, what's the rush? It's not going to run away, is it?"

Seeing the old man's unhurried attitude, Shen Chonglu was so anxious he was practically steaming.

The family business can't run away, but the wife can!

Some time ago, he secretly contacted several of his uncles in Laos, asking them to sabotage the Lu family's mining and smuggling operations in the area.

As Lu Qingyuan has gotten older, he has mostly delegated his work to Lu Jinci, and this time is no exception.

So Lu Jinci took a plane to Laos overnight to personally resolve the trouble.

But Shen Chonglu knew very well that this was far from enough.

Song Yunqi is already engaged to Lu Jinci. Although the wedding date has not been set, given Lu Jinci's fastidious nature, it's hard to say when he might suddenly make a move.

Since she was willing to get engaged to Lu Jinci, it means she implicitly agreed that they would get married in the future.

If I don't act quickly, my wife will belong to someone else!