Jinling, Xunrong.
For a while now, Jiang Lan had been extremely cautious, refraining from any out-of-line actions. Even brand promotions were handled with care, avoiding any grand fanfare.
She was afraid of attracting unwanted attention.
This was because Lu Ming was not in Xunrong, and Jiang Mengxin had also left Jinling.
Xunrong was completely without support. If an enemy were to attack Xunrong at this time, Jiang Lan would find it difficult to cope.
Caution is the mother of safety.
Even so, some unpleasant things still happened, which Jiang Lan endured without complaint.
Xunrong seemed to have become invisible, transitioning from its previous forward momentum to a standstill.
However, it's not always possible to achieve stability just by wishing for it.
Jiang Lan was still targeted by certain individuals.
While Jiang Lan was discussing the company's direction for the next quarter with He Zhizhou, a man with a tattooed arm walked in, a cigarette dangling from his lips.
The security guard was about to stop him, but the tattooed man directly pressed his cigarette butt onto the guard's arm, causing the guard to yelp in pain.
The tattooed man strode in, casually spitting a glob of phlegm towards the receptionist.
He was incredibly arrogant!
Upon witnessing this, Jiang Lan frowned slightly and walked over, putting down the documents in her hand.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?" Jiang Lan asked.
The tattooed man flicked his cigarette butt onto the floor and stomped on it forcefully, leaving a dark stain on the pristine white tiles.
He picked up a promotional flyer and said with a grin, "Interested in swimming and fitness?"
What on earth?
Swimming and fitness?
To promote that here?
Jiang Lan suppressed her anger and said coldly, "I'm sorry, our company is not interested in such services. Please leave."
"Not interested?" The tattooed man smashed the receptionist's phone with his fist and roared, "Say that again, and see what happens!"
It was clear he was here to cause trouble.
He Zhizhou walked over and said fiercely, "Kid, what do you think this place is? If you don't get out of here, I'll call the police and have you arrested!"
The tattooed man chuckled.
He extended his arm and asked, "Do you recognize this arm?"
Huh?
He Zhizhou blinked. Just an arm, what was there to recognize? Could it be the legendary "Kirin Arm"?
He Zhizhou stared intently. On the arm, densely tattooed were countless... snakes!
Yes, snakes, not dragons.
Who would tattoo so many snakes on their arm? Wasn't it disgusting?
He Zhizhou, being a veteran figure in Jinling, quickly understood the situation and recognized the man's true identity.
He asked in alarm, "Are you She Yong?"
The tattooed man nodded with satisfaction, "Heh, not a bad eye. You know who I am. Since you do, why aren't you signing up for a VIP membership for swimming and fitness?"
He Zhizhou hesitated.
He knew She Yong was here to pick a fight and extort them, but He Zhizhou didn't dare to refuse him directly.
If Lu Ming were here, he could have Lu Ming easily subdue She Yong.
But Lu Ming wasn't here!
Jiang Lan beside him also frowned. She knew of She Yong's reputation.
She Yong had originally been a snake breeder. Later, due to his criminal activities, he spent time in prison. After his release, instead of reforming, he became even more brazen.
He continued to breed snakes and used them to threaten others.
Anyone who didn't obey him or do as he said would have snakes released into their homes! And these were all venomous snakes!
Who could tolerate that?
Furthermore, She Yong had cultivated a large group of followers who bred snakes with him and extorted people.
In Jinling, people "affectionately" called them "Snake People."
The mere mention of "Snake People" sent shivers down everyone's spine.
It wasn't that She Yong himself was exceptionally powerful, but his methods were too despicable. Even if you beat him half to death, it was useless, as his subordinates would still find an opportunity to sneak snakes into your home when you weren't paying attention.
Imagine the feeling when, after taking a bath, you lift the covers to go to sleep, only to find more than a dozen venomous snakes lying on your bed.
The faint-hearted would be scared to death.
Precisely because She Yong's methods were so vile, everyone feared him, and he essentially got whatever he wanted.
He never expected to extort Jiang Lan today.
Hoo—
Jiang Lan took a deep breath. Taking a step back opens up a wider view. She decided not to confront She Yong head-on.
Without Lu Ming around, even if Jiang Lan defeated She Yong today, she couldn't guarantee what kind of revenge She Yong might resort to in the future.
One shouldn't go head-to-head with such a scoundrel.
Jiang Lan said, "Swimming and fitness, right? Okay, I'll sign up. Tell me, how much does a VIP membership cost?"
She Yong smiled with satisfaction and said, "That's more like it. It's not expensive at all. We're new, so there's a discount. After the discount, it's only 5200 yuan per person per year."
Jiang Lan breathed a sigh of relief.
It was acceptable to get rid of She Yong for 5200 yuan.
She took out her wallet and said, "5200, right? I'll take this VIP membership. Please leave quickly."
However, She Yong blocked Jiang Lan and said, "Manager Jiang, are you only signing up for yourself? That doesn't seem right. Xunrong has so many people, why not sign everyone up?"
"What?" Jiang Lan immediately became displeased.
Xunrong had over 200 employees in total. At 5200 yuan per person, that would amount to over a million yuan!
This extortion was truly ruthless.
Jiang Lan gritted her teeth. A million yuan it is, she thought!
She said, "Fine, I'll sign them up."
But to her surprise, She Yong stopped her again and said with a sinister grin, "Manager Jiang, such a great service, such a big discount, and you're only signing up for one year? Come on, it should be at least 30 years, right?"
Thirty years?
This meant She Yong wanted thirty million!
This was madness!
Jiang Lan could no longer tolerate it. She pointed at She Yong's nose and yelled, "She Yong, you've gone too far! You're demanding over thirty million yuan from Xunrong just like that? What do you think this place is? Your private piggy bank?"
She Yong chuckled sinisterly and asked, "What, Manager Jiang, you're unwilling?"
Jiang Lan retorted furiously, "Of course, I absolutely will not give you that much money! You, get out of here right now!"
"Heh heh." She Yong continued, "Are you sure you want to do this? If I leave, then some things will start rolling in."
Jiang Lan frowned, "What do you mean?"
She Yong snapped his fingers, and a white van drove up to the entrance of the Xunrong building.
The car door opened, revealing wire cages inside.
Through the gaps, one could clearly see venomous snakes coiled inside the cages, their red tongues flickering!
They were densely packed, one on top of another.
It was enough to make one's scalp tingle.