Gao Wu: I'll enjoy the benefits, but you'll bear the side effects.

At this moment, Gao Jie felt an inexplicable fire raging in his chest, burning him with restlessness. His hands unconsciously clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He really wanted to unleash his anger without restraint, to vent all the frustration and rage in his heart, but his father, Gao Zhanlin, stood firmly beside him, like a silent and majestic mountain, forcing him to swallow back the angry shout that was on the tip of his tongue.

Gao Jie knew perfectly well that if Gao Zhanlin hadn't been there, with his fiery and straightforward nature, he would have charged forward without hesitation against this arrogant and domineering guy, regardless of the consequences, just to fight him to the death and decide the victor first.

In Gao Jie's mind, some things, if tolerated for a while, will not be peaceful, but will only embolden the other party. But with his father by his side, he cannot be so willful.

Just as the tension was palpable, as if the atmosphere was about to break at any moment, Lu Mingwan walked over with light yet resolute steps.

Her posture was upright, her eyes radiating an undeniable coldness. She looked directly at the arrogant manager, her lips parted slightly, and she uttered a cold sentence:

"You're fired. Get out of here. We don't want someone like you here, do you hear me?"

The sound, though not loud, seemed to carry shards of ice, piercing straight into people's ears.

The manager was completely stunned, his face full of bewilderment, his mind like a computer that had suddenly crashed, unable to process what was happening.

He simply couldn't understand how he could be suddenly sentenced to "death" and kicked out while he was doing his business properly here.

He tried to explain himself, but the security guards around him didn't give him the chance. Several of them rushed forward, pulling and dragging him away.

It wasn't until his feet were pushed out the door that the manager belatedly realized, as if waking from a dream, that the powerful Lu Mingwan in front of him was actually the real owner of this place, the one who could control everything and command the wind and rain.

Gao Zhanlin stood to the side, also looking puzzled, his eyes filled with astonishment.

He really couldn't understand why this young-looking woman, who was not related to him at all, would stand up and speak for him at this critical moment.

This sudden situation left even a seasoned man like him somewhat bewildered.

Just as Gao Zhanlin was filled with curiosity and pondering to himself, Lu Mingwan walked gracefully toward him.

Her face instantly softened into a gentle and concerned expression, and she began to softly inquire about his well-being.

"Uncle, hello. Gao Jie and I are friends. Are you alright now? What happened just now must have really frightened you. Those bastards were so arrogant, they deserve to die."

As she spoke, she frowned slightly, as if still angry as she recalled the scene just now.

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhanlin was completely dumbfounded, his mouth agape for a long time.

He never imagined that his seemingly ordinary son would make such an amazing friend.

The surprise came so suddenly that he was momentarily at a loss for words.

On the other hand, Gao Jie didn't have anything particularly to say. He simply walked silently to his father's side, intending to take him away from this place of trouble.

Seeing Gao Jie's indifferent expression, Lu Mingwan frowned slightly, took a step forward, and blocked his path with her hand. Her eyes were full of resentment and doubt as she pressed him for an answer:

"What do you mean? You're just leaving without even saying goodbye? I'm your boss now, after all, and I'm paying you a million a year."

These words not only stopped Gao Jie in his tracks, but also exploded in Gao Zhanlin's heart like a bombshell.

Gao Zhanlin seemed to be frozen in place, and then his face was full of disbelief.

He repeatedly pondered the number he had just heard in his mind: an annual salary of 100 million!

This is an astronomical figure for an ordinary family like theirs, a huge sum of money they never dared to dream of. Could it be that their ancestors' graves were emitting auspicious smoke, which allowed their son to have such an opportunity?

His legs trembled slightly with excitement, and he almost jumped up. But looking at Gao Jie, who was completely different from his father who was overjoyed, he simply turned his head, looked at the woman calmly and indifferently, and slowly began to speak…

Gao Jie was already seething with anger, and now he was at his breaking point. His brows furrowed tightly, his eyes filled with impatience and resistance. He stared directly at Lu Mingwan without any politeness, his voice as cold and hard as if it contained shards of ice:

"I have no interest in what you have to say, and I hope you will stop bothering me."

I can accept a normal, regular job; after all, I also need to make a living and earn a stable income with my own hands.

But as for your other ambiguous and cryptic meanings, I absolutely will not give you any leeway. Do you understand?

He paused, took a deep breath as if to vent all the resentment in his heart, and then said:

"You did pay me a salary, I don't deny that. But don't think that a few banknotes can buy my freedom and my will. It doesn't mean that I've become your appendage from now on, acting entirely according to your wishes. Do you understand?"

After saying that, without waiting for Lu Mingwanwan's response, he grabbed Gao Zhanlin, who was still in a daze, and strode towards the company entrance. His manner clearly showed that he didn't want to stay a moment longer.

Gao Jie's temper was too fiery, and his actions were so decisive. His employees looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief and curiosity, and all their eyes were on Lu Mingwan.

After all, Gao Jie had already made such a definitive statement and adopted such a tough attitude. If it were anyone else, the boss would probably have already lost his temper. But Lu Mingwan remained calm, which was really puzzling.

Moreover, judging from the series of conflicts just now, Gao Jie is definitely not someone to be underestimated, and he is not the kind of ordinary person who would easily back down. So why has Lu Mingwan remained silent and tolerated him until now?

Does she have some deeper scheme in mind?

Lu Mingwan stood there, seemingly lost in thought, oblivious to the whispers around her.

After a moment, she slightly raised her hand, signaling everyone to be quiet, before slowly speaking, her tone calm yet exuding an undeniable certainty:

"Don't spread this around for now. Anyone who leaks even a hint of this will face the consequences."

She glanced around briefly, her gaze undeniably intimidating, and only continued speaking after everyone nodded vigorously.

"I know what this young man is trying to do. He seems reckless, but he actually has his own principles and bottom line. However, we don't need to rush. Haste makes waste. We can deal with him slowly and deal with him gradually."

Besides, I heard their school is definitely having a performance soon. I'll use all my resources to find a way to make him famous.

As she said this, she narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she had already sketched out a blueprint in her mind:

"As for whether he can shine or not, whether he can brilliance under the spotlight, that's beyond my control. But I sincerely hope he can truly shine."

Ultimately, his excellence is the key factor that truly determines our future direction. If he can distinguish himself, it will be entirely beneficial to me.

Meanwhile, Gao Jie had already led Gao Zhanlin back in a flurry of activity.

The father and son walked silently down the bustling street, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding noise.

Gao Jie was filled with remorse, secretly blaming himself for losing his temper so recklessly in front of his father. Now, who knows what his father was thinking.

Gao Zhanlin frowned, seemingly deep in thought. A sense of helplessness and silence enveloped both of them, as if they were trapped in an invisible net. Gao Jie felt increasingly uneasy, but given the situation, he racked his brains but couldn't think of any good solutions.

After all, Lu Mingwanwan's behavior was too strange, with an unfathomable and bizarre quality.

Her deliberate and persistent approach was clearly not accidental; anyone could tell she was definitely harboring some special purpose.

But Gao Jie racked his brains trying to figure out what the reason behind this was, but he still had no clue.

This feeling was truly awful, as if a hidden hand was reaching out from the shadows every now and then, gently manipulating the trajectory of his life, stirring up his heart and causing him to feel uneasy for no reason.

All in all, this whole affair is utterly baffling. There are countless outstanding people in this world, so how did Lu Mingwan manage to set her sights on him so quickly?

He was just an ordinary person with no extraordinary background or unique resources, and he couldn't understand why she was giving him such "special treatment".

It must be said that all of this developments have greatly exceeded people's expectations, just like a train that was originally running smoothly along a predetermined track suddenly derailing and rushing wildly in an unknown direction.

Moreover, the current situation is just the tip of the iceberg; many more thorny problems are lurking beneath the surface, like undercurrents.

In other words, the real key problem is far more complex than one can imagine at this moment, and solving it requires many times the effort. But where should Gao Jie even begin to tackle this invisible and intangible trouble? He was completely at a loss.

"Why are you acting so strangely today? What happened? That Lu Mingwan looks so familiar, I feel like I've seen her on TV before."

Gao Zhanlin broke the silence first, looking at Gao Jie with a puzzled expression.

Gao Jie paused for a moment, and after weighing his options, he recounted the entire entanglement between the two parties, adding a solemn reminder to Gao Zhanlin afterward:

"She's not a reliable person. You have to be careful and not let her fool you. There's definitely something fishy going on behind her actions. We can't fall into her trap."

"In short, you need to be very careful about this situation; it's quite unusual," Gao Jie emphasized, his eyes filled with worry.

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhanlin's face first showed an expression of disbelief. His mouth opened slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed the words back and fell silent for a moment. He frowned, carefully sorting through the information he had just heard in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more he felt that this matter was not simple.

But soon, Gao Zhanlin stopped talking, as if he had suddenly thought of some crucial issue, and abruptly raised his head. Just then, Wang Fang walked over.

"I think my son is right. After all, it's not a good thing for some people to suddenly approach us for no reason. What if they're after us?"

Wang Fang echoed her son's words, her face showing a hint of worry, "You must be careful about this situation in the future, otherwise we'll suffer losses without even knowing why."

Gao Zhanlin nodded, his expression solemn, but he didn't say another word. Instead, he slowly walked out and stood quietly in the courtyard, looking into the distance.

A look of sorrow settled between his brows, and his eyes seemed vacant, as if he were lost in deep thought.

Gao Jie saw this and felt bad. He understood that his father had become like this because of this troublesome matter, but he didn't have any foolproof solutions at the moment and couldn't offer any more guarantees.

He could only sigh softly, step forward, and try to comfort his father as quickly as possible:

"It's okay, don't take it to heart. That's just how things are right now. Don't make a big deal out of it, or it'll just affect your mood. Let's eat and sleep as usual. Maybe things will take a turn for the better in a while."

Gao Zhanlin slowly turned around, staring directly at Gao Jie, and said earnestly:

"I don't care what your situation is right now, but you really need to be careful. I have a feeling that the other person isn't someone you can easily fool, you hear me? If something happens, it will be a huge mess, and our family can't afford to go through that. In short, you need to be careful in this situation. That's all the advice I can give you."

He paused, then, as if remembering something, continued,

"By the way, if you're not too busy with your studies lately, come back and visit your mom and me. We're getting a bit bored every day, and now that I've lost my job, it'll probably be even more boring."

Gao Jie suddenly came to his senses, and images of his parents' daily life flashed through his mind. It seemed that their lives were always the same, either watching TV or staring blankly at the empty house.

It turns out that my parents' life here is so dull and boring. I'm busy with various school affairs every day and haven't paid enough attention to them. I can't help but feel a little guilty.

But if I were to go back to be with them now, there's a whole host of urgent matters at school waiting to be dealt with. My graduation thesis isn't finished yet, and my club activities are nearing their end. I can't let go of any of these things.

He shook his head in frustration, not wanting to dwell on the thought any longer. He simply gave his father a perfunctory reply and then prepared to leave.

As soon as Gao Jie got downstairs, he saw Qi Laoda standing there with a smile on his face and his eyes slightly narrowed. His smile had a hint of cunning that made people uneasy.

"Boss Qi, what are you doing here?"

Gao Jie asked instinctively, his mind filled with doubt. This Boss Qi was usually elusive, so why did he suddenly appear downstairs at his house today?

"Since you're here at my doorstep, why don't you come up for a cup of tea? My parents are here too."

Out of politeness, Gao Jie casually extended an invitation, although he vaguely felt that Boss Qi's visit was by no means a simple casual visit.

Qi Laoda didn't say anything, but strode over and casually put his arm around his shoulder, still smiling. They looked like two old friends reunited after a long separation, extremely affectionate.

"Gao Jie, I don't mean anything by it, I just wanted to have a quick chat with you."

Qi Laoda spoke slowly, his voice carrying a deliberate air of relaxation.

"What I mean is, would you like to talk to me for a bit?"

Qi Laoda tilted his head slightly, his gaze fixed on Gao Jie, the probing look in his eyes growing stronger.

Gao Jie's heart skipped a beat. He had dealt with Boss Qi many times before, and he immediately realized that Boss Qi must have something to discuss today, but he really had no idea what it was.

He quickly searched his mind for recent events, but couldn't think of any connection to Boss Qi. After a moment's thought and weighing the pros and cons, he nodded in agreement.

After all, Boss Qi is a respected figure in this area, and offending him for no reason could cause him any trouble.

Then, Gao Jie was taken to a teahouse in a daze. The teahouse looked antique, with carved beams and painted rafters, and the aroma of tea wafted through the air, but Gao Jie had no mind to appreciate it at the moment.

He was completely puzzled. Why had he been brought here in the first place?

The more he thought about it, the more puzzled he became. He sat there feeling like he was sitting on pins and needles, his eyes occasionally drifting to Qi Laoda, who was calmly sipping his tea across from him.