Lin Ran: "For this real estate company, let’s stick to the old arrangement—you get 5% equity. You’ll be the largest shareholder after me, and your position will be General Manager of the entire group. Right now, we’re only in real estate and media, but we’ll expand further in the future. I need your support."
Wu Zhishang was taken aback. He admitted his bond with Lin Ran was rock-solid, but was he really cut out for managing an ever-growing enterprise?
Even the current media company—just focused on livestreaming—was already keeping him swamped.
"Bro Lin, I’d love to, but I might not be capable enough."
Lin Ran laughed and patted his shoulder. "Capability isn’t the most important thing. You just need to know how to manage—delegate tasks instead of doing everything yourself."
What ability? What experience? None of it mattered when stacked against the power of cold, hard cash.
Did people really think success was all about skill? There were plenty of talented people in the world, but opportunities were scarce. The key was seizing the right one.
And those who handed out opportunities? They held fate in their hands. Hard work might lead to success, but those born in Rome would always have the upper hand.
Harsh, but true.
Now, Wu Zhishang’s opportunity was Lin Ran himself—and Lin Ran’s backer was Luo Yao.
From the very beginning, they were already invincible. That was Lin Ran’s unshakable confidence.
"After all, you wouldn’t want your ex to say you were hopeless, right?"
"Fine, I’m in."
Wu Zhishang gritted his teeth, then added, "But promise me—if I mess up, you won’t give me crap for it."
Lin Ran nodded. "Relax, I won’t say a word. I’ll just beat you up."
Wu Zhishang grinned. "Joke’s on you—if getting beaten means free equity, just leave me breathing."
After a pause, he grew serious. "For real, bro. If we lose money, I’ll sell everything to cover my share. We’re brothers."
Lin Ran gave him a sidelong glance. "The losses we’d take wouldn’t even dent my wife’s allowance for me."
Wu Zhishang scoffed. "Bro Lin, you’re full of it."
Lin Ran pulled out a black card. "Know what this is? A World Bank Black Card—with a ten-billion credit limit. My wife’s spending money for me."
Wu Zhishang stood frozen, utterly speechless. It took him a long moment to recover.
"Bro Lin, your wife might be loaded, but I’d rather share the risk. That way, we’re both comfortable."
Lin Ran didn’t care—failure wasn’t an option for him—so he agreed.
Without hesitation, Lin Ran handed Wu Zhishang the 5% stake. It was both repayment for their brotherhood and gratitude for Wu Zhishang’s loyalty in another life. He treasured this rare bond.
Though Wu Zhishang took the risk-sharing seriously, Lin Ran’s agreement was only verbal.
Now, Lin Ran had one more favor to repay—solving Wu’s Father’s problem.
After a brief discussion, Wu Zhishang, though puzzled, followed Lin Ran’s advice and invited Wu’s Father over.
Wu’s Father worked at a construction firm, and Lin Ran planned to poach him outright.
First, it’d resolve the fallout from taking the blame at his old company. Second, it’d help build Lin Ran’s inner circle. Third, Wu’s Father was trustworthy and dependable.
About half an hour later, Wu’s Father arrived. Lin Ran and Wu Zhishang exchanged a glance before launching into a tag-team pitch—two "bright-eyed" college kids brainwashing a middle-aged man.
Wu’s Father listened in silence until they ran out of breath, then finally spoke.
"Xiao Ran, son, I’d love to help, but I doubt my company will let me go."
Truth was, he was doing well there—a mid-level manager handling both finance and labor relations.
But this was Lin Ran and his own son asking for help. As a father, he couldn’t refuse.
Besides, Lin Ran was the boss, and Wu Zhishang, as a shareholder, was also a boss. Working for his son? No question.
The only hurdle was his current employer.
"No worries, Uncle. Just resign. If there’s a penalty, we’ll cover it. I know you’ll thrive here, and remember what I warned you about last time? Leaving now is the smartest move."
Wu’s Father frowned. "Xiao Ran, how can you be so sure my company’s in trouble?"
"Because Luo Corporation investigated it. As the world’s top company, their findings should be reliable, right?" Lin Ran had prepared this excuse in advance.
Hearing it was Luo Corporation’s intel, Wu’s Father dropped all doubts.
Lin Ran pressed on. "This company has your son’s stake in it. You wouldn’t abandon him, would you? Besides..."
He patted Wu’s Father’s shoulder. "After all, you wouldn’t want to end up as the fall guy for a fraudulent company, right?"
Wu’s Father nodded firmly. "Alright, I’m in."