"So then, are you still missing an auction house? I will buy in with my Big Data Auction House shares. That's fine, right?" Su Mali's eyes were bright, a playful light dancing in them as she asked. This was her personal asset entirely, held separately from her family's massive holdings.
"Haha, good." Qian Duoduo quickly arranged for someone to handle the transfer of shares, gesturing with a brisk wave to his assistants, then hurried off to deal with the commotion on-site. As for whether he and Su Mali's father truly didn't get along or were simply putting on a show for the observers, Jing Shu had no way of knowing. Just like Qian Duoduo said, no matter what, the two had to appear to be on opposing sides to maintain the delicate balance of power.
She never signed the agreement to transfer the 5% shares, her hands remaining still at her sides, yet the other party didn't force her. Instead, the staff member gave her a professional smile that didn't reach their eyes. "After the apocalypse, the state optimized the relevant regulations. We directly recorded your shareholding using Big Data. Whether you sign or not, it's all the same."
Jing Shu: "...emmm."
The real issue was that she couldn't refuse, nor could she step forward and bluntly reveal the truth to the room. How could she say something like, "I know you will die in three years, Shiyuan will be confiscated, and the government will reap the rewards," or, "I need to distance myself from you now to avoid disaster later."
All she could do was accept it as Qian Duoduo's goodwill, a heavy weight that settled in her stomach.
Jing Shu's head felt heavy and muddled as she forced a smile, her facial muscles tightening, yet her mind kept replaying the image of all food being seized three years later, shareholders gutted like leeks, everything gained from Shiyuan forcibly surrendered to the authorities.
What she feared most was that her family might get caught up in the collapse, that the supplies she had painstakingly stored over the years would be searched and taken by the desperate. Worse still, if their situation was exposed, they would face exactly what Qian Duoduo had felt when the tyrant came knocking in her past life, demanding every last bit of food from the shelves.
Food earned honestly, not stolen or robbed, suddenly taken away in the name of the greater good. The apocalypse would still drag on for years, the gray rain never-ending. Was she supposed to let her family live on thin gruel mixed with carrion scavengers? Then what had been the point of all her hard work? In the apocalypse, first she had to ensure her family's survival, then help others as much as she could.
It was like working hard for five years to save a million, then being told to donate 990,000. Once you had eaten meat and soup daily, the rich flavors lingering on your tongue, could you accept living on porridge instead? Few would agree to such a gap.
But a living person can't let themselves be suffocated to death by their own urine.
Since receiving Qian Duoduo's 5% shares was now a done deal, she had to face the problem head-on instead of avoiding it, her gaze sharpening as she looked toward the stone walls.
"There must be a way to satisfy the tyrant's greedy demands while also pulling Qian Duoduo back from the brink. A way to keep Shiyuan from being dismantled and seized, a way for both sides to benefit and survive together." Jing Shu narrowed her eyes. Her thoughts grew clearer, and she seemed to glimpse a path forward through the shadows.
Meanwhile, Su Mali completed her own deal with the professionals, her pen scratching against the paper, ultimately trading 20% of her auction house for 1% of Shiyuan's shares. Perhaps her entry into the venture was simply because she wanted a seat at the table with the other tycoons.
"Come on, Jing Shu, let's see what's happening over there." Su Mali tugged her toward the noisy corner, her iridescent raincoat rustling.
Jing Shu gave a light hum in response, but her mind was still on the tyrant. The reason he slaughtered the fat pig Qian Duoduo was because every day in Wu City thousands starved, and the masses were sinking into despair, numb to the apocalypse that had stolen their lives.
If the people could at least have hope, something to carry them through a few days without starving, maybe the situation wouldn't have been so dire. If Qian Duoduo donated the majority of his stores without dismantling Shiyuan, the problem might have been solved peacefully.
But Wu City had millions. Even if they drank only thin porridge, the consumption was astronomical. Qian Duoduo had hoarded countless supplies, yet they were only enough to keep the city alive for three days.
Even if her Rubik's Cube Space was planted without pause, the soil constantly producing, it couldn't store enough to feed so many. In the face of natural disaster, individual strength was insignificant. She couldn't save Wu City, let alone China or the billions on Earth.
"In the end, this has to be solved by the people themselves. All I can do is guide." Jing Shu silently set a goal for herself. China's fifth year of the apocalypse, when corpses would litter the land, was less than three years away. By her count, only a little over two years remained.
She let out a long breath, adjusting her mindset. Some things had terrified her at first, made her run and hide in the dark. But once she thought it through, they weren't so unbearable. She would protect her family's livelihood above all, then do her best to help Qian Duoduo and Wu City. Man proposes, heaven disposes.
"Jing Shu, did you figure things out? You looked so down earlier." Su Mali's eyes scanned Jing Shu's face. "Don't carry a burden, we're all grateful you risked your life to save us. Every time I think of it, I want to thank you again." She grabbed her hand, swinging it like a carefree girl.
"Yes, I have figured it out. Since it's been given to me, I will accept it." Jing Shu smiled faintly, the expression reaching her eyes. Of course, she wasn't just taking shares. She was taking on responsibility.
…
By the time she arrived, Qian Duoduo had already handled matters, the crowd beginning to disperse. To her surprise, she ran into a familiar face: the father of Heng Jin. Heng Jin had once been the young master of Hengda Logistics, who in the early apocalypse joined her in suing Sun Yinrui, and later helped her by transporting an RV from inland China to Wu City.
Heng Jin's father, Heng Jiu, was a shrewd and seasoned man. He was a real player in this new world. When Qian Duoduo tried to snare him empty-handed, Heng Jiu turned the tables and snared him instead, pulling off a reversal and walking away with the advantage.
Everyone knew logistics was indispensable to the industrial chain. It combined transport, storage, loading, packaging, distribution, and information processing to meet user needs.
Courier services were only a branch of logistics, and the two were vastly different. For Qian Duoduo to build a one-stop base, logistics was essential. But logistics now was fully integrated with the government, controlling reserve food and materials.
"To ask me for logistics company shares, I don't have a single one." Heng Jiu said, his voice firm. It was clear he wanted to make an exception, offering nothing in exchange for the partnership.
In the end, Qian Duoduo was indeed played. He had to hand over 3% of the shares and promise that in the future, all resources needed for the one-stop base would be provided by him. In exchange, Heng Jiu assigned a team to manage the base's logistics.
Unsurprisingly, this was a father securing benefits for his son, as the shares were ultimately written under Heng Jin's name. Jing Shu hadn't expected this twist of fate; she would become "colleagues" with Heng Jin.
Still, if the title of best empty-handed wolf belonged to anyone, it was undoubtedly Jing Shu.