The Adopted Cannon Fodder Made a Comeback

Gu’er was thrilled to hear what Lin Shan said. The city was taking this matter seriously, to the point of investigating her father. She believed in her father’s integrity and knew he wouldn’t have any financial problems. Since the investigation had cleared his name, she figured the city’s impression of him would improve, which would surely help him in the long run.

"Dad, do I really have to go? Just the thought of meeting such a high-ranking official makes my heart pound. Is it okay if I don’t go?"

Gu’er blushed slightly. In her past life, she would have been tongue-tied meeting even a women’s federation director, let alone a vice mayor. Even in this life, she still got nervous. It was just part of her innate personality.

"You didn’t seem flustered when you met an official as important as Vice Secretary Yuan. You even cooked for him and hit someone right in his presence. I heard you grilled that manager in front of Vice Secretary Yuan until he was left speechless. Why would you be scared of meeting a vice mayor?"

Lin Shan asked Gu’er with a smile.

"That was because I didn’t know he was such a big shot, wasn’t it? Besides, I’m a well-behaved girl. If I hadn’t been pushed to that point, I never would have done something like that." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Gu’er knew her father was teasing her. After he put it that way, she actually felt less nervous.

Lin Shan laughed heartily.

"Don’t worry. Officials are people too; they won’t eat you. Just act normal."

Lin Shan patted Gu’er’s head and then went over several points for her to keep in mind.

"Oh, right, I forgot to ask you. For this private shopping center, you’re all partners, but there can only be one legal representative. Who are you planning to have as the legal representative?"

Lin Shan asked Gu’er.

"I think anyone could do it—Brother Jia Ming, Li Zhi, Brother Liu Yuan, or Brother Dingzi. I trust that none of us are the type to forget our principles for profit, so we won’t have conflicts over money. I know a lot of couples and friends run into problems because of money. They say no shared interest means no conflict. That might be true for small amounts, but when the money gets bigger, people start thinking more. Profit can stir the heart, and that’s when conflicts can appear. Even though I trust all of us and don’t think we’ll have issues regardless of who the legal representative is, I’m still going to propose we sign a contract. It will clearly state how future profits will be distributed. If we get it notarized, I don’t think we’ll have any major problems."

Gu’er had considered this before. Business partners were extremely important. Usually, you didn’t want too many because more people meant more trouble, more opinions, and more chaos, which could easily lead to conflict. An uneven distribution of profits could also turn friends into enemies. But they were an exception. They had many partners, but none of them were petty, and Gu’er trusted them all.

Lin Shan nodded. It was good that Gu’er had thought of drawing up a contract.

"By the way, Dad, since we’re partners, I’m going to make it clear from the start that the adults in our families can’t get involved. If any relatives want to work there, they have to be assessed first. Only those with good character will be allowed in; otherwise, they can’t join. Also, the adults can’t come to the shopping center and boss people around. If any relative, friend, or adult from any of our families takes anything, it will be billed to the individual partner’s account, and they will be responsible for it. What do you think?"

Gu’er explained her thoughts to Lin Shan. She hadn’t yet discussed these points with Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and the others, as she wanted to hear her father’s opinion first.

"You’re right. The worst thing in business is having too many people meddling, especially people who don’t know what they’re doing and just boss everyone around. A business like that won’t last long because everyone has different knowledge and ideas. You should all do things the way you see fit. Don’t worry about family members. I’ll talk to your mother, so you can rest assured."

Lin Shan was very supportive of Gu’er. This was especially important with family members like Cao Qiu. He had also heard that Liu Yuan’s mother wasn’t easy to deal with, so it was necessary to make things clear beforehand.

Gu’er and Lin Shan talked for a long time. He listened to everything and helped her flesh out and refine her ideas.

The father and daughter talked until it was almost ten at night. Chen Fengjiao had paced back and forth outside the door several times, wanting to knock but holding herself back.

"It’s so late. You should go wash up and get to bed. Tomorrow, go have a proper discussion with Jia Ming, Li Zhi, and the others. I’ll let you know when the city calls about wanting to meet you."

Lin Shan glanced at his watch and was surprised to see it was already past ten.

"Okay. You should get some rest too, Dad."

Gu’er nodded. She didn’t feel tired at all; on the contrary, she was excited.

"Honestly, what do you two have so much to talk about? Once you start, you go on so late. You still have work tomorrow."

Seeing them come out, Chen Fengjiao walked over and muttered.

Gu’er just smiled and went to wash up.

「The next day」 The group gathered at the Sun Family’s home to discuss the matter of the legal representative.

"Is that even a question? It’s definitely you. I don’t want to be any representative. I just want to collect my share of the money."

Li Zhi was the first to voice his support for Gu’er.

"Gu’er."

Dingzi spoke up.

"Yes, Brother Dingzi?"

Gu’er nodded in acknowledgment, waiting for him to continue, but Dingzi said nothing more. It was only then that Gu’er realized he wasn’t just calling her name; he was casting his vote for her as the legal representative.

Gu’er didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Honestly, Brother Dingzi,’ she thought, ’would it kill you to say one more word?’

"I choose Gu’er too. I’ll just focus on doing the work. I don’t care about the other stuff."

Liu Yuan also raised his hand.

Sun Jiaming looked at Gu’er, his eyes filled with a smile. As her fiancé, he couldn’t be the first to state his position, but he was in absolute agreement. Other people might think a man should be the head of the household and take the lead in everything, but he didn’t feel that way. Gu’er was capable, and it was enough for him to stand by her side and help. He was willing to give her everything.

Gu’er then relayed the points she had discussed with Lin Shan: if any of their relatives or friends were to be hired, they had to be of good character. Those who were lazy, opportunistic, or had poor character were not welcome. She wanted to make this clear to everyone beforehand so that no one would think they were being unreasonable.

She also repeated that the adults in their families couldn’t get involved in the business, and so on. Everyone agreed. They all thought Gu’er’s ideas were right.

"So, if the city approves it, and we finish the renovations and open for business, what should we name the shopping center?"

Gu’er asked the group.

"Let’s just call it the ’Gu’er Private Shopping Center’."

Li Zhi blurted out without a second thought.

"I think that’s a good idea."

Sun Jiaming nodded.

Dingzi gave a slight nod.

"Agreed."

Liu Yuan raised his hand as well.

Gu’er was speechless. ’Come on, guys, at least try to think of a name! What do you mean, "Gu’er Private Shopping Center"? This isn’t some small diner.’

But she hadn’t thought of a good name either. In any case, the opening was still a long way off, so there was no rush. They could take their time and think of something better.

"About meeting the vice mayor, who wants to go with me?"

Gu’er asked.

"Not me."

Liu Yuan blurted out as if by reflex. From the look on his face, he wanted to stay as far away as possible.

Dingzi also shook his head.

"I could go, but it’s better if you have Jia Ming accompany you."

Li Zhi, for his part, wasn’t scared.

Sun Jiaming nodded at Gu’er. He had never met any high-ranking officials either, but he wouldn’t get stage fright. To accompany Gu’er, he would go through a mountain of swords and a sea of fire.

"Then the three of us will go together."

Gu’er felt a bit braver with people accompanying her.

————————

Thank you to qiongqiong336688 for the little golden pig, thank you to Pacific Stone Monkey and Wujie Hua for the monthly tickets, thank you to Juanjuan Yezi and Xuehua い Zang for the rating tickets, and thank you all for your support.